Healer Games
by EssGee
Summary: When a Faller from a world without Pokemon finds herself suddenly in Hoenn, she is roped into what locals simply call The Games. Still learning Pokemon, she must deal with a questionable sponsor, forced rivalry, nepotism, and having her every waking moment televised. But what is the real point of these Games, and just how deep do Hoenn's problems run? (OCs from two ORAS Nuzlockes.)
1. Rules and Rivals

THUMP.

The loud sound and sudden feeling of falling jolted Morgan awake. As she was jostled again, she quickly realized she must be in some sort of vehicle. And either the terrain here was incredibly rough or this driver was terrible.

But why was she here?

The last thing she remembered, they had been planning to confront the enemy army at the mountain- or had the battle already begun? Her recent memory was a blur. There didn't seem to be anyone around to ask, either- not that she could see.

Morgan braced herself a moment too late for comfort at the next bump, but noticed the doors at the back pop open for a few seconds before a smaller bump closed them again. It seemed they were held with a fairly loose chain.

But moreover, in those moments of brighter light she had taken in her surroundings: she'd say no less than two dozen cardboard boxes, and at least one bed strapped to the wall. So this was… a moving van? Hardly the place she expected to be.

Aiming to get a better look, she waved her hand and chanted a small incantation for light.

Nothing happened.

Alarmed, she tried a few more times to no avail. ...An anti-magic zone perhaps?

Suddenly, a small light source did appear, but not from her. "Hello," said an electronic voice.

Morgan startled slightly, but then examined the source. It was a rather sleek-looking piece of machinery, quite different from anything she was used to. The handheld device sported a small screen and a few buttons, the function of which she could not guess. On the screen itself, though, was a robust man looking something in his late 30's to 40's, and he appeared to be talking.. to her? Cautiously, she picked up the device and watched.

"My name is Professor Birch, and I want to welcome you to the World of Pokemon." World of what now?

A small object in his hand cracked open, and light sprang forth to take the shape of a small blue creature. It was actually pretty cute, for looking so strange. To be fair, she supposed many of the things they had back home would look strange to outsiders as well.

"My friend here is what we call an Azurill. There are many like her, and they are only one of the countless species of creatures that we call Pokemon. … And by countless, I mean estimates currently range around seven hundred. But we're always discovering more, you know?" The man gave a hearty laugh that made Morgan feel as though she was meant to laugh along. She did not feel like laughing.

"Some people keep Pokemon as pets. Others, whom we call 'Pokemon Trainers', like to raise Pokemon for battle and have fun by fighting against other trainers!" The man on the screen gave a knowing look. "Ahhh, but don't be alarmed! Pokemon are very resilient creatures, and fighting is in their nature for most. Yeees, they do love a good battle. Of course, accidents sometimes happen, but such is just in the nature of things. Pokemon enjoy getting stronger, and the trust they form toward their trainer's ability to guide them helps to form a powerful bond between the two!"

Truth be told, had he presented it as combat rather than sport, Morgan wouldn't have seen a problem in the first place. However, the case he presented did seem persuasive. Although she had become quite certain she was not in Snaska anymore, she was becoming rather intrigued by just what sort of place this was.

She watched for what must have been well over an hour as the video went on to explain the basics of Pokemon: battle, elemental types (so it seemed there WAS magic here?), and to her surprise, a massive permanent change in form referred to as "evolution". It was a lot to take in, and she was quite certain she had missed a few of the finer points, already wondering over how to replay the video if she had time. But Morgan always did absorb knowledge like a sponge, and she felt she was getting a decent idea. "Yes, truly Pokemon are fascinating creatures and a wonderful part of all our lives."

... _You know_, thought Morgan, _I'm going to be pissed if this is just some sci-fi entertainment they left back here.._.

"But what about YOU?" asked the video. Morgan cocked a brow. "Are you a boy, or are you a girl?" Two of the buttons lit up to correspond with the options that appeared on the screen, and Morgan's other eyebrow raised to match its mate.

"Hmm. Very curious," she mused. "Although your options are a little limited there," she added, a touch of bite to her voice. All the same, she hit the option for "girl".

"Great! Now, will you tell me your name?" A keyboard appeared on the screen, and Morgan soon figured out which buttons moved the cursor and selected the letters.

"I see! So you're a girl, and your name is Morgan Fayel. Is that correct?" That wasn't quite how it was pronounced, but Morgan decided she couldn't blame the machine for that and hit the option to confirm this information. "Very well, Morgan. Now, let's step through the door to adventure! Your very own Pokemon journey is about to begin!"

Morgan let out half a laugh at how terribly cheesy it was. What was this, the intro to a child's video game?

The sound of the chain on the door caught her attention, however, and it was only then that she realized the van had indeed stopped. ... OH. So was… the video telling her to step through the actual door? That did make more sense.

She had no time to decide, for ready or not the metal panels flung open, and the light that flooded in momentarily blinded her.

"Ah, good, you made it in one piece." As her eyes refocused, Morgan saw a woman perhaps a little older than the professor standing before her. "You didn't break any of our things, did you?"

Morgan blinked, partially still adjusting and partially from confusion. "E-...excuse me. _Our_ things?" She didn't see anyone else, but?

The woman shrugged a little more dramatically than necessary. "Well, mostly my things, of course. Mine and my husband's. But naturally we wouldn't get a new pet without providing for her, yes~?"

...Pet? Morgan rubbed her temples and shook her head. "I'm sorry… **Who** did you say you were?" she asked. _**Who**_ _the __**hell **__do you think you are?_ she thought.

"Oh, how rude of me!" exclaimed the woman.

_I think you crossed that line somewhere in the neighborhood of kidnapping me…_ thought the would-be-wizard dryly. Some part of her was aware she should be more.. reactive, at all, but her curiosity currently outweighed her caution.

"My name is Genevieve, and I suppose you could call me.. Well. I'm your savior, dear." With a quick look around, she added, "Please, step outside, have a look around!"

With a smirk like that, Morgan would not have been surprised if this woman was employed in law or politics. But what were her other options? Sit in the van forever? She sniffed a private laugh, then stood and stretched a moment before complying.

She'd had only a small glimpse before with Genevieve and the house here taking up most of her field of vision, but the sight that properly greeted her now was breath-taking. The trees were the lushest and greenest she'd seen since childhood. The grass practically danced in the breeze, which seemed to caress her face as if she was its own most precious child. The scent of all manners of flowers and wild things filled her nose and made her think of home before the war, before even school and training. She felt somewhat… humbled.

"Now see?" asked Genevieve. "Better than home, yes?"

Morgan wasn't going to answer that. "But why am I HERE? And what's all this about pets and saviors?"

"Well we did rescue you from that awful battle, after all." Morgan wasn't entirely sure which battle, but had a feeling she wasn't going to get anything further. "You don't remember?" Morgan shook her head. "Ah… Just as well. It was a terrible sight, really. Perhaps it's better this way."

As they talked, a strange blue humanoid came from the cab of the truck, startling Morgan. "Oh, don't mind the Machoke. Mover Pokemon are terribly handy, but not always the politest bunch."

"...Right." So it seemed Pokemon could even resemble people. Interesting.

"As for the other bit… You did watch the video, correct?" Morgan nodded. "Well, here in Hoenn, we have a sort of… tradition, if you will. Locals such as myself sponsor foreign trainers on their journeys, and that device you have there- your PokeNav Plus- keeps tabs on your progress. The Hoenn forces rescued.. oh, I want to say it was a dozen or so of you, but I'm not sure where the others have ended up. You though.. My husband took an interest in you. A shame you don't remember meeting him. At any rate, we've decided to make you our pet project, you see? Funding such a journey for you."

Morgan pursed her lips. "... So what I think you just explained to me is that you bought me?"

"Oh heaven's no! No, dear, I promise you, the League would never pick up anyone who wasn't entirely willing. The way my Norman tells it you were quite eager to get away. Are you sure you don't recall?"

Morgan sighed heavily. Last month one of her companions blew down a cafeteria wall with his mind because the microwave was annoying him, yet this was by far the strangest thing that had ever happened to her. Still, she supposed… It wasn't as though she had any way to tell whether or not the woman was lying, and it wasn't as though she'd never thought about just running away from everything. If things had gone sour, maybe she _had_ agreed to this?

"So… Is this like a _test_, or what?"

Genevieve touched a finger to her chin. "I wouldn't say a test so much as… We think of it more as a Game."

Morgan frowned. "Well, with all due respect, I'm not sure I'm interested in playing."

"Oh no dear." The accompanying tone was far too sharp for the words it spoke. "I'm afraid you don't have much choice."

"Is.. that a threat?" It was neither fearful nor audacious- simply a question.

"Well we won't hurt you if that's what you're asking." Morgan did not like the laugh that followed.

"So what would happen if I said no?"

Genevieve gave her a shrug and a forced-sweet smile. "Why… Nothing~"

Morgan's face contorted a bit and she opened her mouth to question, but found it took her a little longer to actually find the words to fill it. "... What uh…"

"We do nothing, dear. We leave you on your own, without a sponsor, without a Pokemon. With nothing but the clothes on your back in an unfamiliar land filled with weaponized fauna around every corner. Sound better?"

…

…

… Morgan sighed. "Couldn't just help someone out of the goodness of your heart, I suppose."

A slight shrug. "Afraid not, dear. Pokemon are pretty vital to survival here, but they're also very easy to misuse. I suppose it is a bit like a test in that regard, ensuring that newcomers can handle the responsibility. I could offer you a little money for food if you're bent on declining, but it wouldn't last long."

_What have I gotten myself into…_ "And… if I comply?"

Genevieve's expression softened. "Then it's a mutually beneficial deal. We help you get on your feet and make a name for yourself, and in turn all you have to do is provide us with a little entertainment. We'll have a certain path you have to follow, and a certain set of rules to play by, both for ecological reasons and to make things more interesting, but how you approach the path laid before you will be entirely up to you. After all, it's seeing the ways different trainers react to their situations that makes it truly entertaining. That's why people are willing to sit through the same basic story over and over as long as the characters keep their interest, you know~?

"And if you make it to the end, you will regain your full freedom as well as citizenship. You can keep the Pokemon you've collected, and you can ask the league to pay for either housing in any Hoenn city of your choice or a passport and ticket to any region of your choice. Not to mention the status you'll earn with those following your journey. People love a good trainer's tale, you know~"

As much as she hated to admit it… "That uh.. That does sound more appealing."

"There's a girl~ Now come inside, and I'll explain everything you need to know."

* * *

_Boy does she love to talk._

Thus far, Genevieve had done a rather thorough job explaining the "rules"- and in all honesty, Morgan was getting the impression that the woman had a terrible pension for the dramatic. She kept alternating between warning of all the dangers and sugarcoating her own words, but upon removing the context from the presentation, Morgan found the challenge itself did not sound terribly difficult.

Some time later in the day she would get "starter" from the local professor. Then she would meet her pre-designated "rival". It seemed that while it didn't take much to sponsor a trainer, wealthier sponsors often paid for better starters and set up rivalries to "keep it interesting".

Morgan, it seemed, was "lucky" enough to have rather wealthy sponsors. She just hoped whatever other poor sap they had roped into their little game was as new to this as she was.

The Pokemon League, the organization which sponsored this whole ordeal, set up Gyms for trainers to challenge along the way in order to "test their progress" and "ensure they were raising their Pokemon properly". Also, to create a way to quickly remove the unprepared trainer from the game.

Genevieve's husband, Norman, was in charge of one such Gym. In terms of power in Hoenn, Morgan assumed this was akin to lesser nobility back home.

Moving on, though, Morgan would be allowed to capture only one Pokemon per "area", with each such area already marked in the PokeNav Plus; this was supposed to keep wild populations thriving, just like any sort of hunting license, but also to keep any trainer from amassing too much power too quickly. And to keep things "exciting", it also had to be the first Pokemon that tried to fight her, no matter what that may be. Poaching would be punished harshly, according to Genevieve, although she would not elaborate further.

Pokemon Centers in each town could heal Pokemon at an alarming rate, as well as offer free rooms and meager rations to competing trainers. And she would earn credits to buy supplies the farther she made it on her journey, though "for security reasons" PokeMarts would not take actual money from her, making her funds limited.

"Let's see…" Genevieve murmured. "Did I miss anything?" Morgan was hardly in a position to answer. "I'm sure I'll think of more later, but that should get you started. Any questions?"

_Aren't these creatures considered intelligent?_ she thought. That was certainly the impression she'd gotten from the video in the van. _Better them than me, I guess_. So other questions… "Any idea why I can't use my magic?"

The resulting look made Morgan check if she'd grown a third eye. "Your what?"

"My… My powers. My magic. My ability to manifest energy that affects the world around me through the act of reciting spells and incantations generally pre-determined by far more capable wizards than myself."

A long silence, then a laugh Morgan dearly wanted to believe was not as condescending as it sounded. "Dear, I'm not sure if you just hit your head in the van, but we don't have anything like that here. Unless you count Pokemon moves, I suppose."

Morgan sighed. "Never mind. I'll find out later."

"If you say so, dear." Genevieve did one last mental run-through, then shrugged. "We have a little time, so why don't you check the room we set up for you. I doubt you'll be by too much, but if you happen to be in this neck of the woods you can always rest your head here. If nothing else, make sure you'll be able to get a good night's sleep tonight so you'll be well-rested when the games begin tomorrow."

Morgan shrugged. "All right, I guess."

She had to admit, it was a rather nice room. The bed was perhaps a bit soft for her taste, but better than the outdoor camping she had grown accustomed to. Some sort of computer sat in a corner, but its operating system was entirely unfamiliar to her, and she felt she had quite enough to learn in a short time without adding more to the pile.

The clock on the wall, however, was a welcome and familiar sight. This Hoenn place was certainly strange, but it tracked the same hours, had the same days. It assured her that she was not, in fact, on another planet entirely- although the words "parallel universe" did still creep into her thoughts a few times.

She rested here about an hour, taking everything in and rewatching a bit of the information video included on her PokeNav.

At last, she recalled that although the games began tomorrow, she was supposed to get her starter today, and she wandered down the stairs to confirm as much.

As she reached the bottom, she saw a rather different Genevieve staring starry-eyed at the television. To her surprise, the look did not go away when the woman noticed her standing there.

"Oh, Morgan, come quick! It's Norman!"

Morgan's eyebrows rose a moment, but she complied.

"Hurry, hurry!"

About the time the screen came into her line of sight, though, an announcer concluded, "This has been a live look at the Petalburg Gym. Now here's Johnny with the weather!"

Immediately, Genevieve deflated. "Oh.. You missed him! My dear Norman was on, though."

"Huh," replied Morgan, unsure quite what the woman was expecting. "That's cool?" Was it unusual for gyms to get coverage, or did the eccentric and at times unnerving woman from before actually just transform into a lovesick schoolgirl?

"Ah, forgive me. What did you need?"

"...A Pokemon?" Morgan replied.

"Right, yes." She straightened herself, and seemed to shift back into her usual demeanor. "Birch was supposed to call when he returned to his lab, but I suppose you can go check in case he's just getting in. ...Or forgot." The last bit was muttered a bit. "It's the largest building in town and not far off; you can't miss it. If he isn't there, you might check his home, too. It's the house just across the field to the west there."

Morgan was about to make a snarky comment, but as she opened her mouth another thought occurred, and she found herself looking down instead. Did…? … It did! The PokeNav actually included a compass app. Well, that would come in handy. She was already falling in love with this little machine.

"You should probably head there anyway," Genevieve added.

"His home? ...Why?" Morgan asked.

"Well, to meet your rival, of course. Did I not say before? The professor is her sponsor."

Morgan's face went flat. … "Great…"

* * *

A/N: Apologies in advance that these first few chapters are a little slow; there's just a lot to be set up. As a quick note, like the story desc says, this is based on a pair of Nuzlockes. Morgan was played by my bestie in AlphaSapphire, and her rival by me in OmegaRuby. Story events will take a blend of both. I dearly hope you'll stick around and enjoy~


	2. First Impressions

Well, he wasn't in his lab, so Morgan hoped for the best as she headed toward the house.

She wondered what sort of Pokemon would be available- and for that matter, what sorts there were. The video showcased dozens, but there were practically a thousand out there, assuming the information was even updated properly. If it had been a while since it was made, there might be even more!

And that was just in terms of species. She wondered too what sorts of personalities she'd encounter. Perhaps one like Persey, her magical pet back home. Of all those she'd left behind, Morgan probably missed Persey the most, but honestly, she knew that as long as the little weasel had something to fight, she would be happy.

Perhaps most Pokemon were that way as well. Perhaps they really did enjoy combat to a point that it was worth the risk to them. She supposed it would be hypocritical of her not to support that if so.

Morgan found herself at the door and hesitantly knocked.

A weary looking woman greeted her and showed her in, a stark and homely contrast to the arrogance of her own sponsorwoman. "Sera will be so excited to meet you," she said as she scrambled for tea. Morgan felt it would be more polite to decline and save her the trouble, but… tea. To her, very possibly exotic tea. She supposed one cup wouldn't hurt.

"Oh, do make yourself at home by the way. She's upstairs in her room. Head right in, she shouldn't mind."

"That's uh-"

"Oh, go on, go on. I should be done by the time you're through with intro- oop!" She nearly dropped a plate, but caught it just in time. "Introductions."

But Morgan wanted tea, and to maybe not barge in on someone who was dealing with just as much confusion as she was, because privacy?

The woman- Mrs. Birch she assumed- insisted, though. Morgan sighed. Guess I can just knock…

Or… not. It seemed the stairwell poured directly into the girl's room? Who would do that? Who would design a house like that? Or... had this been a living area once, perhaps? Whatever.

In the corner, Morgan spied a head of pink hair, about as bright as her own scarlet, although it was long and limp-straight as opposed to her own mid-length curls.

_Similar, yet different_, she thought. _Fitting for rivals, I suppose_.

The girl noticed her then and startled, but quickly settled and brightly. "Oh, hi!" she almost squealed, bouncing toward Morgan to greet her. "You must be Norman's kid, right?"

Ha. The way she said that made it sound like he was her dad or something. How about no. Still, she got the intent. "I would hope so, or else there's a random stranger wandering through your house."

Sera giggled at this, and Morgan had to admit that appreciating her humor was an effective way to get on her good side, even if the girl did seem a bit… excitable. "I do have to admit, though, with Norman sponsoring you, I was kind of hoping you'd be a guy."

...Because she was 'Norman's kid'? Was he some kind of sexist asshat, or what was the implication there, exactly? ...Whatever. "Hoping" was better than "assuming", at least, right?

"Hope I don't disappoint?" Morgan cracked a cheesy grin and struck a faux-sexy pose. "I think I could make a pretty nice guy, if it's that important. Wha'd'you think?"

Sera laughed, but shook her head. "No, you're fine. Sera, by the way!"

Morgan knew, but nodded at the formal introduction. "Morgan."

"Nice to meet you, Morgan! So, do you have a Pokemon yet?" Morgan shook her head, and Sera's smile brightened. "Well then hey! Maybe I should help you catch one some time~"

Morgan frowned a bit. "Uh… No, I was supposed to get one from the professor?"

Sera giggled. "Oh I know, I was just teas- ….." Her face slowly shifted from grinning to gears turning to fearful realization. "Oh, crap! I was supposed to help him in the field today!"

A pile of papers went flying off her desk- wow, she had managed to accumulate a lot; maybe she'd been here longer than Morgan awaiting a rival?- as she practically tripped over herself racing toward the door.

"Oh wait I need-" she rushed back across the room and wrapped in a long red cloak, the grabbed a baske-

"...Are you cosplaying Little Red Riding Hood."

"...Maybe."

"..."

Well. If there was one high point to that, Hoenn and Snaska apparently shared some fairy tales as well as a calendar.

Sera didn't seem to notice the critical eye on her for more than a second, though, as she stuffed several things into said basket and headed for the door again. "Hey, c'mon! You should come with!"

Morgan started to object, but seeing as she failed to think of a good way to say 'no let me just hang around your house where I could easily rummage through your stuff while you're gone and chill with the lady who apparently has no sense of privacy', she soon gave up and followed.

As they quickly cut through the living area, a fragrant whiff of the tea Mrs. Birch had prepared caught her nose, but even as she wafted toward it, Sera announced, "Hey, we're going out, be back later!" Then she grabbed Morgan's arm and half-dragged her along behind.

A slightly surprised Mrs. Birch watched after them. "Oh uh.. All right, have fun girls!"

"But…." Morgan stared back at the table where Mrs. Birch stood waving. "Tea…"

* * *

"Don't worry too much about the wilds, we're not going too far," Sera said.

"Shooould I be worried if we were going farther?" Then again, neither of them had a Pokemon yet.. did they? Sera had offered, if jokingly, to catch Morgan one, so had she already gotten her starter? Morgan hoped so. "And if you could let go of my wrist that would be great."

"Well then hurry up, Slowpoke!" The pun was lost to Morgan.

About the time she managed to reclaim her arm, a childish shriek arose. "Oh no, oh no, someone help!"

The girls rushed to see what was the matter. The frantic child stood where their path crested a hill, and at the bottom a rather large gentleman- Professor Birch himself it looked like- was being chased by a rather small animal. Judging from his reaction, however, the creature must have been quite dangerous.

"Someone, please! Ahh! Down, down girl!" He jumped over small rocks and skirted around a tree stump in an effort to lose her, but the creature was faster, repeatedly cutting off his retreat and making him change course until he tripped and fell down. The little gray Pokemon stood taller and moved in with imposing footsteps.

Sera gasped. "Oh no! Don't worry, I've got it!" Rushing forward, she reached into her basket-

And stopped cold. A stiffness came over her as her gaze slowly rose from the basket to the professor. "I…. um…."

"What are you waiting for?!" he barked.

A tiny whimper escaped her. "I forgot my Pokemon…"

"YOU WHAT."

Sera tried to smile, but her eyes showed something else. "I'll uh- I'll fix this, I'll be right back!"

"_Sera_, just-" But she didn't hear. As she rushed off, Birch's eyes fell to Morgan, and he sighed in exasperation. "I swear to-.. _You!_ There are Pokemon in that bag there. Use one!"

Morgan pointed to herself questioningly, but then did as she was told. It wasn't like the little gray Pokemon was just going to loom menacingly forever- even if it did seem to be taking its sweet time, conveniently.

She saw three Pokeballs on top of the bag's other contents, and although she could faintly make out a form in each one through the barely-transparent red tops, she did not have a clear idea what any was nor have time to analyze them, so she simply grabbed one at random and released it as she'd seen trainers do in her video.

"KO!" A green reptile appeared, striking a combat pose and drawing the… pup's? attention.

"Ah good. Use your Nav!" Birch called.

Glancing down, Morgan found herself looking at a sort of battle interface. It provided her with information and vitals for the Pokemon she was using- Treecko, that was it- as well as a rough analysis of the opponent's vitals. Well that took out quite a bit of the guesswork.

Several "moves" were also listed on her side. While more advanced strategies were possible with practice, the more basic moves provided a good foundation for communication, according to her video.

"So uh…. Pound?" Morgan guessed. Almost immediately, the Treecko slammed his bulky tail into the pup, and Morgan found herself smiling. That was oddly gratifying; she was not accustomed to others doing what she said without question.

The opponent quickly tackled Treecko in turn, causing Morgan to flinch, but it seemed the damage was not too severe- or at least, rather less than it- she?- had taken from their own attack.

"Hm… Leer?" It didn't sound very imposing, but surely it was just-

It was not just a name. Treecko literally just leered at his opponent. ...How was that a designated move? To her surprise, the pup did seem to react a bit, but remained undamaged. She threw her full weight at Treecko again.

"Oh dear.." What was the last one again? Hm. Now that was an interesting name. "Absorb!"

All of a sudden, Treecko began to glow a faint green, and soon his opponent followed suit. Her eyes grew wide, her once-snarling jaw went slack, and she appeared to be trapped by this grip. Then orbs of green light began moving from her to him, each brightening his light and dimming hers until it had faded entirely.

What it left behind was a withered husk of a Pokemon, which staggered a few steps before falling down and ceasing all movement.

"Uh…." Morgan wasn't entirely sure what to make of that.

"Treeeecko~!" her Pokemon sang, striking a dramatic victory pose. Well, he did look to be feeling better. Looking down at her Nav, she confirmed that his vitals were almost completely back to peak condition.

Well then. Draining another creature's life force did not sound like the most morally sound thing she'd ever done (although it was probably not the least either?), but doing so to restore her own- or rather her partner's- sounded like a fantastic edge in this game.

N-not that he was her partner officially or anything. But it was good to know, she noted.

"Ah, you handled yourself wonderfully!" remarked the professor.

"I just read the screen, really."

"Nonsense, girl. Your feelings were in tune with your Pokemon's, and that's why it performed so well!"

That did not sound very scientific, even by a wizard's standards, but Morgan shrugged. "If you insist."

"Now hey, recall that Pokemon and come with me to my lab." Come to think, the mechanics for recalling did not seem terribly scientific to Morgan either, but they appeared to work. It seemed there was much yet to learn about this place.

She was about to ask what to do about the pup, but when she looked, it was gone. How odd… Had it been okay after all? Gotten up and wandered off perhaps? No sense dwelling, though, she supposed.

* * *

The walk was short and mostly silent, but she could hardly complain.

Once inside, Birch turned to her. "So! You're going to be Sera's rival, yes?" Morgan nodded. "Well, then, you're going to need quite the partner. I warn you, she's rather tough."

How could she be? Wasn't she just as inexperienced as Morgan? Whatever.

"I have quite a selection. Or…" Birch looked over his shoulder slyly at her. "Would you prefer to keep the one you battled with already?"

Morgan blinked. "Uh… I don't know, is it a good one?" It occurred to her she'd been given no instructions on which starters to look for or how to choose one in general.

Birch laughed, again in a way that felt as though she was supposed to laugh along, yet made her feel the opposite. "Yes, yes, I assure you it's one of the higher grade options. For what Norman paid, you wouldn't get any 'better', only different."

Morgan shrugged. "Then sounds good to me."

"Excellent! Then if I can just see its ball and your Nav a moment?" Morgan handed them over, and after a few fiddlings both were given right back. "There! You are now fully registered as an official trainer, and Treecko is officially yours."

Morgan nodded. "Well, thank you!"

"I've also installed a PokeDex and the latest associated Nav app. This will keep track of every Pokemon you've seen and caught, provide you with information about them, and a number of other things. It's all fairly straight-forward, so just play around with it and you'll figure things out."

_Meaning you don't have an owner's manual printed up, eh?_ thought Morgan. Her sarcasm was outweighed by her awe, however. "That is.. really amazing. Thank you very much."

Birch nodded. "Now head home and get some rest, girl. Tomorrow, the games begin."

* * *

By the time Morgan made it "home", it was getting rather late. To her surprise, a luxurious dinner awaited her. Her sponsor seemed thrilled by her choice of starting Pokemon, and even invited him to have dinner with them, for which Morgan was quite grateful.

Afterward, she and Treecko were ready to retire to their room, but Genevieve insisted she had just a few more gifts to bestow. First was a bed for Treecko, which one of the Machoke Movers still lingering about was carrying up to the room now. And second was what could loosely be referred to as a hat.

It was the most God-awful piece of clothing Morgan had ever seen, and she had essentially zero interest in fashion. She had favorite colors, but valued comfort and function over appearance, and pure personal taste when the first two factors were about equal. Still, this thing… Who designed it? It was too long to actually fit on her head, yet didn't stand up like a top hat. It was almost like a giant sock stuck to a headband, but with little spikes for some reason?

But Genevieve seemed so eager to see her wear it, and she did always love red-and-white and hats as a general thing, at least… "Er… Thanks." Hesitantly, she put it on. "So does it do anything, or..?"

Her sponsor shook her head. "Oh no. This one's just a gift from me. I made it years ago for.. my little brother, but-" Her tone seemed to shift. "I never ended up giving it to him." Morgan didn't ask. The usual smile returned. "But I'd love to see it finally get some use, and who knows? Perhaps if you become a celebrity the design will catch on~"

Morgan wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but did find herself appreciating the awkward apparel a little more. "Thanks then," she literally guessed. "I guess we're going to head to bed though."

Genevieve nodded. "Sleep well, dear!"

Morgan did have to hand it to her planning. She had bought several different Pokemon bedding options to be prepared for whatever starter Morgan chose, including one that came with a tree. He immediately took to it, and watching him scurry all around it proved rather soothing.

Despite the unsavory circumstances and questionable nature of this whole affair, she had to admit: this, right here in this moment, was nice. Perhaps if she played through this ridiculous game, she could have a set-up like this when it was over. Start a new life in this new land, with no constantly raging war, no daily fear of a miniature apocalypse, no Commander Ranik barking orders every five minutes.

Her thoughts wandered to said Commander and all the other people she'd be leaving behind, but… Hell. All of them were used to losing people by now, whether by death or deserting or just being forced separate ways and finding it difficult to stay in touch. She'd miss a few of them, but for all she knew, a few of them might be elsewhere in Hoenn, brought over like her. If she found any, perhaps they could tell her what exactly happened.

Meanwhile, for all those left behind knew, she was good as dead anyway. They'd move on. And while a tinge of guilt did plague her for considering just leaving them to their fate, she knew not one of them would blame her for getting out while she could- especially when, she realized now, they could be dead by now; she had no way of knowing if there even were survivors back home. And without the people… She never had any special connection to Snaska, honestly- no sense of patriotism or duty. She fought to survive, not for king and country. And now she had a chance to not only survive, but perhaps even live.

As she thought of home, though, she waved a hand in front of her and muttered a phrase, then frowned when nothing happened. That much would take some getting used to. But not everyone back home had magic, and she could hardly justify ignoring what was otherwise an overall improvement for the loss of what had always amounted to a luxury, if a highly useful one. She didn't even have proof it was the land making the difference; what if something had happened during the time she couldn't remember before arriving here?

Magic was part of her… but perhaps Pokemon could fill that void in time?

She resolved to do her best to discover at least what had happened to her power, but drifted off a short while after this sentiment. Throughout the night to follow, it was not dreams of home and loss to fill her mind, but of future and promise.

* * *

The following morning, Treecko woke at what must have been nearly the crack of dawn, and quickly climbed to a higher branch of his tree to dive onto Morgan's face, waking her with a jolt. He clung there for a few moments as she flailed about before realizing precisely what was happening. Once she did, she laughed lightly. "Well, good morning to you, too, then."

He climbed down, and she got up to stretch and get dressed, realizing she'd slept in her hat. It was surprisingly comfortable, she had to admit. She supposed it wouldn't be so bad to keep up with.

Downstairs, she saw a cat of sorts stretched out on the kitchen table. "Hey kitty kitty."

"Oh that's Muffin, my Purrloin," called Genevieve from the next room. Naturally, Morgan had to stop and pet it.

A minute later, Genevieve came in with freshly brewed tea and a cup and bowl- for the Purrloin _purr_haps? Morgan mentally laughed at her own lame pun even as her mouth began to water.

"Oh dear, your clothes."

Morgan looked down at the same robes she'd arrived in. "What about them?"

"You…" She looked slightly offended at having to explain this. "You can't wear that. You're going to be on tv. You have to look nice."

Morgan pursed her lips. She was very tempted to call out that insult, but… No honestly she was entirely right, the robe hadn't looked all that great when it was new let alone now. Once again, function over fashion and all.

"Did you not see the wardrobe I had for you?" she asked as she poured her tea.

"I…." Morgan recalled the frilly shirts, poofy dresses, and short-shorts she'd noticed in her room. "Oh, those were supposed to be for me?" She forced a weak smile.

"Of course, dear. Why else would they be in your room?" Morgan could not take her eyes off the cup as Genevieve took a sip.

"I… see. How uh… nice of you?"

Genevieve frowned. "Do you not like any of them?"

"Well I-... They're not.. really my style but-"

The woman set her tea down rather firmly. "Very well then." Oh no, was she angry? "It seems I have no choice." She rose and left the room, leaving Morgan's mind to wander through possibilities.

She told herself she'd find out soon enough, though, and turned her sights instead to the cup that had been left on the table. Carefully, she moved toward it. Surely she wouldn't miss one little sip, right? That would be a lot quicker and easier than trying to figure out where another cup was, at any rate.

Just as she reached for it, though, Genevieve returned, causing Morgan to startle and her hands to instinctively fly behind her back in a pitiful mockery of innocence.

The woman held out a card. "Here. You'll need this on the trip for any non-training expenses anyway. Food and the like; just try not to overspend. But right now, I want you to go pick out a new wardrobe before your kickoff this afternoon."

"I see…" She wondered just how much she could afford, given her other sponsor was apparently one of the most powerful men in the country. But given her utter lack of any concept of Hoenn's economy, she realized asking a number would be fairly pointless. "Th-thanks, but I'm really fine, you don't have to-"

"This is non. negotiable. dear." The corner of Genevieve's smile twitched. "You will find some clothes and you will look. nice. This reflects on my sweet Norman and me, you know~"

Morgan sighed. _Yet you insist I wear this hat,_ she thought. All the same, she grudgingly accepted her fate and headed outside.

* * *

As she passed by the Birch house on the way to Littleroot's tiny commercial "district"- if one could call a street and a half a district- Morgan noticed quite a few Pokemon playing in the yard, and also Sera. She supposed it was normal for the professor's home to have so many of the little beasties running around, but she couldn't say she wasn't a little bit jealous all the same.

Currently, Sera was bathing a small blue Pokemon in a kiddie pool with one hand, while the other arm held a small yellow one. The prior had four legs but seemed otherwise aquatic, with orange fins on its face. The latter was a fluffy bird with orange fringe around its neck and orange crest on its head.

The blue one suddenly sprayed both the girl and other Pokemon with- Water Gun, Morgan was pretty sure. Sera laughed, but the bird was less amused, jumping down and shaking violently to dry itself. "Mudkip, you know Flash hates water."

Mudkip smiled sheepishly in response, and Flash seemed to go off on a small tirade.

Treecko decided this was a good time to leap off Morgan's arm and onto the fence of the yard, so Morgan shrugged and followed him. She and Sera would be seeing a lot of each other soon. She may as well say hi.

"Er…. hi?" Yes. Nailed it.

Treecko made himself rather more at home, running over to play with the other two Pokemon.

Sera looked up from turning off the water hose. "Oh, good morning!" She glanced to Treecko, then back to Morgan. "I'd heard you got your starter~ Is this him?"

"Yeah." Morgan nodded.

"What a cutie! Did you name him yet?"

"Name-?" Right. Of course they would name Pokemon here, like any animals. Even warsteeds got names, back home, if they were worth their salt. "Not yet," she answered, implying the thought had crossed her mind previously.

"That's okay~" Sera assured her. "This Torchic is named Flash, but Mudkip doesn't have a name yet either."

Morgan nodded again. "I'll think about it."

"So are you ready for the game to start?" Sera asked, sitting to play with the Pokemon as she spoke. Although her hands moved to pet and prod at them, her red eyes stayed firmly locked on Morgan's blue.

Morgan felt sort of awkward just hanging on the fence, but remained where she was regardless. "Almost. Sponsor says I have to go buy new clothes first."

"Oh how fun!" Sera exclaimed. "I wasn't gonna say it, but that should really help your early ratings."

_By the gods, I __**get**_ _it, my robe is shit_, Morgan mentally muttered. _And what would you know about ratings anyway?_ "...Yeah. Should be uh… great."

"Can I come with~? I might pick up something new to mark the occasion myself."

Morgan shrugged. "Sure. Why not."

"Wobbuffet!"

"What?"

Sera giggled. "Nothing. You'll get it later~"

Morgan blinked. "O… kay then. I should probably be hurrying though, so…"

Her so-called rival jumped to her feet and trotted toward the door. "Just let me get my cloak~"

* * *

"Ohh, look at this cute ribbon~" Sera chimed, tying the red accessory into her pink hair.

Morgan feigned a momentary interest before returning to her browsing. "Eugh.. Why is everything here so skimpy or frilly?" she mumbled to herself.

Sera responded anyway. "What do you mean? Of course it is." Morgan cocked an eyebrow, and Sera shrugged. "I don't know what you expected? It's… It's women's clothing. This is pretty normal in most places?"

"What? No hey I know frills are a thing but most is probably an ov-..." Then she reassessed her statement. She looked to the one decent shirt she'd found thus far, then to the assortment of fluffy, frilly, form-fitting, low-cut, cut-off, or otherwise hyper-feminine clothing as far as the eye could see. (Of course the eye could see only about the next aisle or two over in any direction, but that wasn't the issue here.)

Promptly, Morgan spun and headed across the store.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To find some decent clothes."

Twenty minutes later, Morgan walked out of a dressing room in loose black-and-gray shorts that came to about her knees and a moderately dressy but sleeveless red shirt with a feminine cut. The latter had a few bows trimming it, but at least they were small- subdued compared to other options. And she did love this shade of red.

She found Sera standing before her in rather shorter and tighter black-and-white shorts and a brighter-red-and-black tank top that displayed quite a bit of cleavage. The ribbon from before had been shifted to tie up a high ponytail, though shorter locks still hung on either side of her face.

Looking over herself in the mirror, and then her rival, Morgan smirked. "It's kind of amusing how similar-yet-different our taste is."

Sera tilted her head into a small shrug as she laughed. Then turning a more critical eye toward Morgan, she remarked, "Not bad. ...But you know those are _boys'_ shorts, right?" Something about the smile she held made it feel as though she were talking to a small child rather than a person of similar age- if not a bit older than her.

Morgan frowned. "They're comfortable shorts is what they are."

Sera did not seem to acknowledge this. "And what's with the hat? If you don't mind my saying so, it doesn't really seem to go with the rest of the outfit."

Why yes I do mind. "Sponsor insists," she said simply instead.

Sera shrugged. "All right then. I guess if you're happy with it~"

Morgan got the distinct feeling that Sera, in turn, was not, but dismissed it. She was right, after all. All that mattered was that Morgan liked it. And between the terrible heat thus far in this region and the amount of time she'd be spending in the wild, something cool and comfortable with multiple deep pockets would be far more practical than anything in the so-called "girls' section". Shirt-wise, she couldn't find anything that offered any better benefit than not being too hot, so she hoped this would satisfy Genevieve's request that she "look nice".

They checked out and removed all the tags from their new clothing. "I don't suppose you know exactly what time this whole thing is starting?" asked Morgan.

"Hm?" Sera checked the time on her Nav; it seemed she had one too, although it looked a bit different from Morgan's. "Oh, we still have a few hours." A mischievous smile slowly crept onto the girl's face.

Morgan felt a directly proportionate sense of dread rising. "What is it."

"Dooo you maybe wanna hang out until then?" Sera asked with a random whimsical spin.

Morgan searched for an excuse, but what else could she possibly have to do? Besides, friends close and enemies closer, right? She may not have been entirely sure just which category a rival in this competition would fall into, but either way dictated she accept the offer. "Eh… Why not."

"Wobbuffet!" Sera chimed again. Morgan facepalmed, yet knew it was futile to even ask.

* * *

"So… Are you nervous?" Sera asked as they left the store.

"Huh?" Morgan glanced her way.

"About your journey. Are you nervous?" Her hands locked behind her back, and her eyes held a bit too much interest for Morgan's taste.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I'm kind of worried about being able to do it more than 'nervous', but. It's not like I have much choice, you know?" She shrugged. "So I'm just trying to roll with it."

Sera nodded. "That makes sense."

Morgan nodded in turn, the hesitated before finally giving in to her sense of etiquette. "How about you?"

Sera offered an uneasy laugh. "If I had any more butterflies in my stomach I'd float away!"

Morgan found she was chuckling despite herself.

"But I'm really excited, too, honestly. I can't wait to meet all sorts of Pokemon!"

"I can see that," said Morgan.

"Oh look, there's a Pokemon now!" Morgan snapped to attention and wondered if she should have brought hers along for their shopping excursion, but she quickly saw that the Pokemon Sera was referring to was some sort of adorable purple butterfly-thing. It hardly looked threatening. "Hi there!" Sera called to it.

The Pokemon seemed to cheerily acknowledge them, so Morgan felt it polite to at least wave herself. The Pokemon appeared to appreciate it.

"She's a Venomoth," Sera informed her. "They aren't native to Hoenn, so it's a real treat to see her."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Littleroot is a small but really exclusive place to live, and a lot of the trainers here keep rare Pokemon either from past journeys or just as pets."

"I see," said Morgan. "So that one probably belongs to someone in the community then, right?"

Sera nodded, then turned to Venomoth. "So where do you live, hm?" The butter- or, moth apparently- let out a few squeaks and squawks in response. "Oh, really?"

Was… she was talking to the moth. A 'hi' was one thing but..

"That's interesting, huh."

No… She was having a conversation with the moth. Not.. that Morgan hadn't talked to Persey and even the horses she rode pretty often, but not.. generally in front of people, and she certainly never butted anyone out of the conversation to talk to something that couldn't talk back.

Sighing heavily, she decided it best to just ignore it. Sera seemed nice enough overall, and this wasn't the first eccentric behavior she'd shown. She'd probably get used to the quirks in time, right?

Together they arrived back at Sera's- or rather Birch's- home, where they had left the Pokemon to play in the yard. Currently, Treecko and the two Morgan had seen before were caught up in some sort of game with two fuzzy brown ones- Zigzagoon, Sera informed her- and a second Treecko a bit smaller than her own. ...And very apparently female.

"Hey stop that!" Morgan cried, flustered, as she rushed to the gate.

Treecko, upon hearing his trainer's voice, acknowledged her, but took his time in distancing himself from his newfound companion.

Morgan then remembered how PokeBalls worked, and promptly dug his out to recall him. Turning to Sera, she bowed her head apologetically. "I am.. so sorry about that. I- he's not very well-trained just yet, I guess."

Sera, however, only chuckled. "Oh it's no problem. The two seem to get along very well!"

The reference was lost on Morgan. "Be that as it may, it-"

"It's fiiiine. Believe me, no one would complain about having an extra Treecko egg magically appear. They're pretty rare."

For a moment, Morgan's instinct was to ask if it was okay that she took this one, then, but she quickly decided against it. She'd seen its strength in action and needed every advantage she could get.

"I guess. Not exactly what I was expecting to come back to, but I guess they are animals after all."

Sera cocked her head, looking suddenly borderline offended. "How do you figure?"

"...How do you not-figure?"

"I… Animals are a different thing. We have animals in captivity but most don't survive well competing against Pokemon in the wild. ...Everybody knows this?" Great. So it seemed Miss Know-it-all here was definitely from a Pokemon-inhabited region herself, then.

Morgan didn't feel like dealing with this. Just as she began searching for a subject change, however, one was provided for her.

"Oh, Flash, don't pick on them." Sera hurried inside to break up a pile of Torchic and Zigzagoon, wherein the prior kept jumping on the heads of the latter and pecking at them.

"So uh. Since Flash has a name, is he your starter or the family's pet or?"

Picking up the golden bird, Sera turned back to her rival with a bright smile. "Yup, he's mine, all right~!"

Hm. What type would he be? Flying? Grass was weak to that, right? This day just kept getting better.

"So is Mudkip, though~!" Sera added.

…And … better. "Say what."

"Well I mean, I've been taking care of both of them for years, and I couldn't bring myself to choose just one to bring along on my journey, you know?"

Morgan rubbed her temples. "...Of course. That certainly makes it better." Sarcasm dripped from each syllable. Then her brain clicked. "...Did you say years?"

Sera blinked, never fully losing her smile. "Yeah. Why?"

Her hand drug down her face in exasperation and disbelief. "Are you trying to tell me you've been waiting years to start this stupid game? What, were they waiting until you were matched with a suitable rival or something?"

Sera offered a confused laugh. "No? That's just.. how long it took to convince daddy to let me try it? ..And by 'convince'-"

"Dad-..?"

"-I mean I'm almost 18 now so he couldn't say no much longer."

"Sera."

"I'm sure they've told you it can get dangerous out there-"

"_Sera_-"

"-but I've watched the games on tv since I was a kid and I've always dreamed of proving myself in them, and-"

"HOLD UP," Morgan interrupted louder. "Are you trying to tell me you're native to this sh-..place?"

Sera did frown now. "You didn't know?"

Morgan opened her mouth, then closed it. A deep breath. "Please.. Please don't tell me your dad is the damn professor."

"What's the problem with that?" Her face shifted to a pout.

Morgan facepalmed with an audible 'thap'. "Just.. I need to take this all in-"

"Hm, wha'd you say Flash?"

"Oh for fuck's sake."

Sera leaned in to the bird a moment, then without looking to Morgan replied, "I agree, she does seem a bit wound up."

"I'm right he-know what? No. I'm not doing this. I'll see you later." With that, she made sure she had her things and began to head back across the field to Genevieve and Norman's home.

"Huh? What?"

"Nope. See you at kickoff. Bye." She never looked back.

Sera gave a small whine as she was left alone with the Pokemon. "I wonder what her problem was?"


	3. Adventure 101

"Were you aware that Sera Birch has two starting Pokemon?" Morgan asked as she dropped her bag loudly.

When no response came, she instantly regretted wasting her dramatic entrance, yet found she had no energy to do it again. Instead, she took a seat at the dining room table. A teacup sat across from her, and against her better judgement she decided to take a peek, but found it empty. "Figures."

A few minutes later, Genevieve appeared. "Oh, it is you. I thought I heard so-... Is that what you're wearing?"

Morgan leered and reigned back a sigh, but to her relief the woman quickly shrugged it off. "Better than that filthy robe, at any rate."

I washed that like two days ago, Morgan thought with a huff.

"I suppose it does have a certain… je ne sais quoi, as well. Perhaps we can play you as having a sort of.. roughneck, tomboy angle. That could appeal to some audiences."

"Good luck with that," mumbled Morgan.

"Oh, but had you said something when you came in? Sorry, I was a tad busy."

The protagonist sighed and rubbed her head for a moment. "Did you know that Sera- Sera BIRCH, apparently- has two starters to my one?"

"What." The word came out as more of a hiss. Morgan was quite certain she had momentarily acquired laser vision, given the way she peered through everything. "Why that-"

The woman visibly collected herself and took a deep breath. "That's fine. Easy enough to fix, we still have about an hour. I'll just have to call dear Norman to let him know and pay the extra fee. Not a problem."

She crossed the room to where her purse rested and retrieved what looked like another sort of PokeNav, with a few more buttons. As she scrolled through some things on the screen (oh you could… touch the screen? That was pretty cool, Morgan thought), she asked, "Out of curiosity, what starters does she have?"

Morgan sought to recall their names. "Ah, M… Mudkip, a watery one. And.. what was Flash's species. The… It's a little bird, big head feathers, fluff around its neck, no visible wings."

"Torchic?" asked Genevieve, a slight glance over her shoulder.

"That sounds right. Is that the little yellow one with orange accents?"

"Hehh. I think you mean orange with yellow," came the confident response.

Morgan frowned. "No, I am definitely sure it was yellow with orange."

Genevieve's PokeNav hit the counter and clattered to the floor. She slowly turned back to Morgan, a too-wide smile pasted on her face and an eye twitching. Morgan startled a bit, unsure what could have caused such a reaction. "You're.. QUITE sure."

It did not really seem like a question, but Morgan nodded all the same.

"...Tell me, pet. Did this little bird seem to sparkle in any way?"

"Uh…"

"Did it catch the light more than other Pokemon you've seen." Her tone had dropped lower than Morgan would have guessed her voice could go, and each word was slow and enunciated. "Did it have a highly refractive quality? Did it look metallic, or pearlescent? Did. It. Fucking. Sparkle."

Morgan thought back. "I.. guess? I mean now that you mention it. I wasn't paying all that much attention to them so I'd have to see it again to be sure but-"

"That. Smug. BASTARD." She turned back toward the counter and a fist came down hard. "Did he honestly think he could-"

Again, she recomposed, breathing slowly, deeply. Her voice returned to normal. She turned back to Morgan with a smile. "Change of plans, dear. It seems given the particular circumstances, we can't just settle for any old Pokemon as your second starter, now can we?"

Morgan still wasn't sure what the issue was, but guessed, "...No?"

"You go get ready for your interview, my pet. It seems I have quite a few calls to make, but rest assured that we will do everything in our power to get you an appropriate Pokemon by your first Center stop."

"Uh… okay, but-"

Genevieve at last retrieved her Nav and made sure it was still working, then headed upstairs. "Run along now, dear."

"Hey, but-" And she was gone. Morgan sighed. "What interview?"

* * *

Oh. That interview. It seemed the whole "kickoff"event was less of a gunshot starting a race and more of a grand celebration, complete with interviews of the competitors.

"Well of course~" chimed Sera upon hearing Morgan's confusion. "I mean this could take months. It's not even unheard of to take over a year. You wouldn't expect our starting at the exact same second would be a big deal, right?"

"Of… course," sighed Morgan. She was really getting tired of dealing with condescending tones over things she had literally no way of knowing.

Whatever the case, she did her best to remain low and enjoy some of the food and festivities while Sera was doing her own interview.

"There you are! Miss Fayel! I'm Martin with Hoenn News Network. Might we have a word?" the reporter asked.

"It's- just call me Morgan. But yes, sure."

"Great! So Morgan. How do you feel about starting your very own grand Pokemon journey here in the Hoenn region?"

Morgan shrugged. "I uh.. It's definitely interesting. I-"

At that moment, Sera moved behind the camera man, shaking her head at Morgan.

"Uh?"

Sera gave a painful-looking smile, pointing to it with both hands.

"I mean, I'm also really happy!" she exclaimed, pasting on a smile that she hoped would be convincing; although she shot Sera a glance that silenty asked, 'right?'

Sera nodded vigorously, then began to do a bit of a silent cheer.

"And.. excited?" Another nod confirmed this. "It's very exciting."

The reporter did not seem entirely convinced, and offered a questioning look. "You don't seem very excited. Is something wrong?"

Sera shook her head at this, but Morgan didn't need advice for that.

"Not at all, Marvin- Martin," she corrected. "I'm just not.. very emotional. Outwardly, I mean. In general. But I promise you I am very.." She took a deep breath and smiled a little wider. "Very excited. It's just a lot to learn, a lot to take in. But I do love learning." This much, at least, was true.

"Well, that's great!" said Martin. "And how do you feel about your sponsors thus far- the Petalburg Gym Leader and his wife?"

"Well, I've only met one of them, but they seem…. uh…" She looked to Sera, who appeared to be gathering something. "Um?" Sera dropped whatever it was and instead quickly picked a few flowers and held them to Morgan. "..Romantic?"

Sera shook her head in frustration as Martin asked, "How do you mean?"

Cover time! "Oh uh. They're.. a married couple, you know? And she seems to care about him an awful lot. So I'm sure I'll like him when I finally meet him?" Of course, apparently she already had? But that was a much longer story than she felt anyone would care to deal with.

Sera gave a visible sigh of relief, and Morgan echoed with an invisible one. "I see," replied Martin.

"Other than that…" Sera offered the flowers again, then added another, and another, re-emphasizing the gesture of pushing them to Morgan each time. "They're… giving? ..Oh! Very generous. That's uh. That's the word I was looking for." Sera dropped the flowers and picked up what she'd had before, bringing the pile of green as close as she could without getting into the camera's line of vision. Was that grass? No.. Oh, clovers? "I feel very lucky!"

"How sweet!" replied Martin. Sera again silently cheered, tossing the clovers like confetti- then cringing and blushing as a few drifted past the camera's lens. Morgan cringed slightly too, but it seemed if anyone else noticed their game of charades no one seemed to care.

"And can we meet the Pokemon that will be accompanying you?"

"Sure." Retrieving her singular PokeBall, she released her partner, who conveniently materialized in her lap. "This is Cerberus," she said, having decided on a name just before arriving.

"Cerberus," echoed Martin. "What a funny name for a Treecko."

"Well, three heads are better than one," Morgan responded flatly.

Martin offered a generic laugh. "What a funny trainer." Sera, on the other hand, facepalmed to a degree that looked painful. Morgan took more pleasure than she should have in her rival's reddening face. "Forgive me for asking, but we noticed your rival had two Pokemon. Might you as well?"

"Not yet," Morgan answered, to Sera's surprise.

The man's brows quirked. "Oh? So you will be receiving one then?"

"Soon," Morgan said with a nod. Before he could ask, she added, "It's a surprise."

To Morgan's own surprise, Sera gave a silent but gleeful clap at this revelation. Martin approved as well. "I suppose we shouldn't expect any less from a player of Norman's, right folks? I'm sure Morgan here will have all kinds of surprises in store for us!"

The interview continued in that manner a little longer. They asked Cerberus to show off a bit for the camera, commented on Morgan's hat, and asked a few more questions about the actual event that Morgan felt unqualified to answer. All the while, Sera did her best to coach Morgan into answers that the audience wanted to hear.

Upon finally getting away, Morgan huffed heavily with relief. Seeing Sera approach, Morgan forced a smile. "Hey uh.. Thanks- I think."

"No problem~" Sera dropped to a crouch to scratch Cerberus as she spoke. "I've seen probably dozens of newbie interviews. Enough to know what kinds of answers the press eats up, anyway."

"Uh-huh." Morgan wasn't quite sure if that was reassuring or scary. "And did I.. more or less get those answers or?"

"Oh you did great!" she exclaimed, looking up to Morgan now.

"I agree," came Genevieve's voice, and Morgan turned to see her approaching as well. "A bit awkward, of course, but it ought to be just enough to be endearing." Morgan thought she should maybe be a little offended by that assessment, but instead found it oddly reassuring. At least she had confirmation Sera had, indeed, been helping rather than leading her to play the fool.

"You found such a great candidate, Miss Genevieve~" remarked Sera.

The woman's eyes fell cold as she literally looked down on the youth. "Sera," was her only acknowledgement. The teen, in turn, recoiled just slightly, her face falling to a frown.

Morgan made a point of looking around at the decorations. I don't see anything awkward happening here. Nope, not at all.

"Oh. Dear. It's almost time for the coin toss."

"The what?"

Sera stood. "You didn't know?"

...I swear if I hear something to that effect one more time. She would… She'd.. She'd be slightly even more frustrated and do nothing still, but **just the same**… "Guess not."

"Well, see, if we leave town at the same time, we'll be basically walking side by side for a lot of it and that's kind of limiting, ya know?" explained Sera.

Genevieve nodded. "The idea behind the rivalry aspect is that you are traveling the same general route and keeping relative pace, but you're doing so separately. To give you both the most room to grow and improve as individuals, while also occasionally meeting up to battle or work together."

"I suppose that makes sense," commented Morgan. She was more used to group travel herself, but she'd have her Pokemon for that role. It might be nice to see the world without someone constantly barking at her. Hell, she was already getting used to being called 'Morgan' rather than 'mage' or 'you there'.

"So to make sure that we're split but not too far apart, they'll toss a coin in a minute, and the winner gets a 30 minute head start!" Sera concluded. "Afterward, they'll keep track of our pacing and let us know if one is getting too far ahead of the other, of course." Morgan nodded her acknowledgement. "Oh hey, it's about to start, c'mon!"

* * *

Sera won. Of course Sera won. Even rolling her eyes felt like too much energy for Morgan to expend at this point.

So Littleroot's prized teen said her dramatic farewells to the camera crew and trekked off into the wilderness, and the young woman from another land was left to wait.

And wait.

She got to sample a few more hors d'oeuvres, which she supposed was a plus, and loaded her bag with some of the drier foods. There was also a pleasant alcoholic punch she was only just old enough to sample by this country's standards, although they discouraged her from having too much: a decision with which she agreed.

Then round came a waiter, and on his plate glistened a beautiful tea set. She debated it for just a moment, but decided there was no harm in at least trying. Heading his way, she called, "Wa-"

"Morgan!"

"Oh for fuck's sake."

"It's time, come on." Genevieve physically ushered Morgan toward the town line like a dog herding sheep. Or a… Morgan didn't know enough Pokemon yet to make an analogy but she was sure there were some good ones.

"Can I just-"

"No."

"But it would only take-"

"I told you to be here at four sharp. That was three minutes ago."

"I-" Morgan sighed and picked up her pace toward her fate.

There was much grandeur, but it all felt distant and strange, as though Morgan were watching it rather than being the center of it. She smiled and waved and played the part, but it all seemed mechanical.

At least until Cerberus hopped up on her shoulder, and brought her consciousness back into herself. With his dramatic waves and bows, he was certainly a crowd-pleaser. Yet he, at least, felt real. And at that moment, Morgan felt a tinge of relief. This little lizard would be her partner, and she his. They would count on each other.

And wasn't that, allegedly, what a Pokemon journey was really about?

With a deep breath to steady herself, then, Morgan took her first steps out into the wild as an official Pokemon trainer.

* * *

Morgan found the first route anticlimactically peaceful after all that build-up. And after that Poochyena (as her Dex had informed her) had been so aggressive before. She saw a good number of Pokemon, including a scant few more Poochyena, but they all kept their distance for the longest time, leaving her and Cerberus to enjoy a nice, peaceful hike over the handful of lightly-forested hills.

Finally, as she passed under one small tree, a red blur fell right in front of her, causing her to jump back. It was one of those fuzzy bugs she'd seen wriggling about. Startled, it flailed about until it found its feet and shot a white, sticky substance at Morgan.

"Eugh!" Stumbling back, she did her best to pull it off. For some reason it made her feel much dirtier than it should have. Meanwhile, Cerberus had jumped in to defend her, whacking the caterpillar with his tail without command.

As she pulled the bulk of the gunk off, the realization hit: "Oh, hey, I guess this counts as first combat." She pulled out her Nav, which brought up the battle interface as well as informed her that her foe was called Wurmple. Annnd it seemed that was the most information the Dex could give at a glance. Fair enough, though, and better than nothing. As before, the battle scan also gave her its sex (male it seemed), a relative idea of its health and a comparison of its combat skills compared to Cerb's, measured by "level".

The informational video she'd watched in the van had explained how to capture a Pokemon, so now was Morgan's time to test herself. She knew if she wasn't careful, she could kill the creature rather than merely weakening him; in addition, she'd like to keep him in as good of condition as possible to allow her to use him before needing to heal her team. However, she also knew that the healthier a Pokemon was, the harder it would be to capture.

So she used precise timing when commanding Cerberus, and kept a close eye on the vital scan. When the worm appeared to be at half health, she decided it was time to use-

…

"I don't have any PokeBalls, do I." Good job, Genevieve. Best preparation, 10 of 10. … Ugh.

"Cerberus, take evasive action. Try to keep it here without hurting it too much more." Cerberus gave her an odd look, and she wondered how much of that he actually understood, but after a few moments he seemed to comply well enough.

With a sigh, Morgan switch the Nav to its phone function, finding Genevieve's number. Ring ring… Ring ring…

"Morgan?" came the voice through the Nav. "What is it? Not run into trouble already, have you?"

"Kind of," the trainer answered.

"What on earth could it be? That Wurmple hardly looks like a challenge."

"Well I-" She stopped, grimacing. "You're.. watching me?"

"Of course? Well I mean I hadn't been, right as you called. But I switched to the broadcast when you did." Silence. "...Did you not understand what I meant by your Nav tracking your progress? It plays off and on while you're awake, and automatically activates whenever you get into a battle as well."

Morgan really shouldn't have been surprised. "Right… But hey, so. This is my first battle in this area but I don't have any PokeBalls?"

A pause. "No one does, dear? ...**Oh.** That's my fault, isn't it, I think I forgot to tell you. You won't get any PokeBalls until you reach the first town. It's to give you some time to bond with your starter and all. Don't worry, you can come back out to 101, the battles won't count against you until you actually **can** catch them."Morgan rubbed her temple. "Well. That would have been very nice to know."

"I wouldn't dawdle too long, though, dear. Wurmple sometimes have-"

About that time, said Wurmple got tired of the lizard running circles around it and led its shot. Rather than the same sticky webbing, however, it now shot what looked like tiny pins. They connected dead-on- and holy shit that hurt!

Wurmple used Poison Sting! It's super-effective! the battle analysis informed her.

"-that," finished Genevieve. "I'll let you get back to your battle. Good luck, dear!" Beep.

"Shit." Morgan huffed. "Well, finish it off then!"

A somewhat weak Cerberus complied, putting everything he had into his next Pound. This didn't quite take out the Wurmple, but did scare it enough that it fled. The Nav consequently informed Morgan that Cerberus had become more experienced as a result of the fight.

"...No. Really? Do you imagine that would happen?" she asked the inanimate object.

With a sigh, she noted he still seemed rather weak, however, and decided to recall him for now.

As she continued, she found she felt very alone without his company. She missed Staugh's rhetoric. Even Ranik's yelling or Yato's whining would have been tolerable at the moment. The scenery was gorgeous and the sounds were largely peaceful, and had they been more familiar she may have found them relaxing. But as it was, she found it finally fully dawning on her what it meant to be entirely alone in a place both wild and unknown.

But it was worse than that, wasn't it? Because she was alone, yet apparently had no privacy. Heavens knew how many eyes on her, yet no one to talk to. She resolved to get as many Pokemon as she could to always have one with her for company as soon as possible, but that did nothing to quell the awful feeling now…

After some half-hour of this, a noise caught her attention, and she noticed two Zigzagoon getting into some sort of scuffle not terribly far away.

...Those didn't have anything like the Wurmple's poison, right?

Lightly coughing to herself, she casually released Cerberus, who looked around questioningly at their surroundings. Morgan coughed again and tilted her head toward the bickering pair. In a soft voice, she said, "You wanna… Absorb one? I don't care which."

Cerberus blinked, but then nodded. Getting just close enough to be in range, the Treecko picked the slightly smaller of the two Zigzagoon and began to glow, just as it had before. Cerberus quickly grew stronger, and his victim grew weaker. By the time he was done, he was only in fair (albeit much better) health, but the other was barely clinging to life. The larger Zigzagoon quickly took care of that, causing Morgan to cringe.

That's.. That's nature. It was bound to happen either way, she told herself, pushing aside any thoughts threatening to turn into guilt. "You're welcome," she muttered to the remaining Zigzagoon instead.

It, in turn, cocked its head, seeming to understand less than Cerberus. It didn't seem to deem her a threat, however, and casually walked away toward a thicker part of woodland.

What happened next, however, caused Morgan to jump back about two feet. The corpse of the slain Zigzagoon suddenly phased, then disappeared.

"What… the hell?" A chill went through her spine, and she suddenly recalled that the Poochyena before had left no trace either. "What is going on here?"

* * *

It was beginning to get dark, sunset fading into twilight, when Morgan finally crested the final hill and saw the first town on her route below. She'd only been on her journey for a few hours, but it was still a very welcome sight.

No sooner did she cross the town line than her Nav began to ring.

"Naturally."

It was Genevieve, congratulating her on making it by nightfall. Morgan wasn't sure if she appreciated the vigilance or found it overbearing, but she supposed she'd take it for what it was worth.

Her benevolent sponsor then proceeded to explain the notable features to look for in each town. Apparently, she could identify Pokemon Centers and Marts by their roof colors. Or…. I could read the signs? she thought dryly. Is she telling me there are no other buildings in the whole country with red or blue shingles? What, did they copyright **colors**?"All the same, she just politely thanked her as she strolled through town.

"It's late, and Sera got into town a while ago, so you should probably rest for the night. Don't want to be late heading out in the morning," said Genevieve.

"I'd kind of like to catch some more Pokemon, honestly. Besides, I'm used to late hours-"

"But the viewers are not," her sponsor answered firmly.

Morgan sighed. "This is another one of those non-negotiable things, isn't it." She didn't need to wait for an answer, but one came regardless.

"Try to keep your important activities to daylight and early-evening hours, dear. When you have to make camp, if something happens, viewers can always catch the stream the next day, but most prefer to watch live when they can."

"Yeah, yeah. So should I call when I wake up or?"

"Oh no, that's fine. Just get up and on your way like it's natural. Just not before sunrise.""Yeah. K." A thought suddenly occurred. "...Hey."

"What is it, dear?"

"So are viewers listening to our phone call right now, or…?"

Genevieve laughed, causing Morgan to regret asking. "Only your end. Although mine is being recorded as well. It's just not broadcasting."

"Of course." Sleep was sounding more and more enticing. "...You uh.. You won't be watching me sleep, right?"

"Don't worry, you're safe there. Regular broadcasting will end soon anyway, and only pick up if it detects something significant going on. But whatever time of day, it shuts off when you go to sleep."

Thank the gods.

..Did this place have gods? She was going to have to find out some time. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure if she was comfortable with just how…integrated this little machine had become into her life. But she couldn't deny its convenience at the same time.

"Ah, there's the Center, it looks like. Guess I'm about to turn in for the night, then. …. Good night?"

Genevieve chuckled. "Sleep well, dear."As Morgan approached the Center door, she had a thought, and although she felt ridiculous doing so, she decided to hold the Nav out in front of her. ….Where was the camera on this thing, anyway? Or was it.. 360 somehow? Apparently obstruction hadn't been a problem so far…

Whatever the case, she held it up with one hand, and waved toward it with the other. "And good night, fans!" Cerberus picking up on the gesture and striking a pose of her own only made her feel that much cheesier.. yet she was fairly certain she could actually hear Genevieve's smile.

She was so far from cut out for this, but dammit, she was going to make it work.


	4. Roadblock

The next morning, Cerberus awoke before Morgan once again, although with no tree the headboard had to serve as his diving board. Once again, Morgan shot up, but this time it only took her a moment to realized what was happening.

Chuckling as she removed the lizard from her face, she asked, "Planning to make this a morning routine, are you?"

"Cko."

Always nice to receive a straight answer.

Cerberus made himself useful checking for any stray things of Morgan's in the room as she got dressed, and together they made it out the door in good time. The trainer was feeling quite proud of herself, waking with such ease so early despite her shift in schedule. Why, it was barely 9.

As she headed through the Center lobby, a voice called out. "Excuse me, miss! Are you Morgan Fayel?"

Morgan spun to see a blonde in business attire sporting a symbol she did not recognize. "Who's asking?"

"I'm with the Pokemon League. I was asked to give you this gift on behalf of your sponsor." The woman dug through a fannypack at her side, then held a strange PokeBall out to Morgan. While every other she'd seen was red and white with a black trim, this one was entirely red.

"Oh, huh. I guess this is my second starter then?" she asked as she accepted the ball.

The woman nodded. "I'll just need your Nav for one moment." Morgan handed it over, and with a few buttons pressed it was given right back. "All registered! Enjoy your new partner."

"Well, thank you very much."

"Of course." Without missing a beat, she went right along. "I'm also to inform you that Miss Birch headed north about an hour ago." She what? ...Of _course_ she did. "You'll find the route to be a dead-end for now, so you should take a little time to get to know your new Pokemon before meeting her there, as this would be a grand opportunity for your first battle."

Morgan suppressed a sigh, but the League woman didn't seem to notice.

"Good luck on your journey, Miss Fayel!" said the woman with a bow.

As she turned to leave, Morgan started, "It's actua-" … Never mind.

Shaking her head, she thought instead of the PokeBall. "What do you think it'll be?" she asked the Treecko on her shoulder. He, in turn, gave her a look that she supposed was about the equivalent of a shrug. "Well excuse me for asking then," she mock-pouted.

Once she made it outside and a reasonable distance from the Center, she brought it out again. The shadowy form she could see through the top seemed more vague to her than Cerberus did in his ball. And without knowing what to expect or how large it would be, she thought it best to make sure she had plenty of room before releasing it.

When she did, she realized that the shadow had not been less vague at all; the Pokemon was actually that simply shaped: a tube of what appeared to be metal with a circular joint one side and several spikes on the other. Also, it floated. "Dnnnmmmmmmm," came the metallic hum.

"What… the hell?" It wasn't even an animal? Some Pokemon in the video had shapes that looked less familiar to her than others, but this… She had no idea they were this diverse. "Nav, don't fail me now…" She consulted the all-knowing device and mumbled the results aloud. "Beldum.. magnets… hooks.. magnetic.. magnets.. … Hm. So, Beldum, huh? Well, if Genevieve thinks you're a good answer to Flash, then welcome to the team."

She smiled at the Pokemon. It, in turn, continued to hover in place. It had a single red spot which may or may not have been an eye, but if so, it too remained still.

Morgan shrugged it off, however. "Right, I should name you." She checked its- or…. hm. There was no gender shown so Morgan supposed "its" was actually correct. At any rate, she checked its bio analysis for statistic information, a useful feature she'd found last night. "Hm, guess you're way too slow to be a Quicksilver," she mused. "Though… Oh wow! You're gonna be a tough guy- er, thing, huh?"

A slightly belayed, "Dnnnnnn."

"Hmmm. You know, I get how magnets work, but you're still floating, so I'm gonna pretend you're really light. Specifically, lightweight silver that's harder than steel." Both Cerberus and Beldum remained still and quiet. Cerberus blinked once or twice, slowly. ...Morgan sighed. "Mithril. I- your name is going to be Mithril."

Still nothing. Then finally, "Dnnnnnn."

Morgan forced a smile. "You two are riveting. C'mon, we should go shopping before we leave town if we want to expand the conversation. Heh."

-

"_What do you mean they're out of PokeBalls?"_ Genevieve asked.

"I didn't stutter. But what now?"

A distorted sigh came through the Nav. "_Well.. I guess keep track of all the places you visit until you get some. You'll be free to backtrack as much as need be for your route-ly catch attempt. My apologies: if I'd known I would have had the girl bring some."_

Morgan rubbed her head a bit, but then brushed it off. "You couldn't have known."

"_That's strange, though. I don't think I've ever seen a Mart run out. Not once, in-"_ She caught herself. "_Well, more years than you've been alive, at any rate."_

At this point, Morgan wasn't even surprised.

-

Morgan found Route 103 much the same as 101, albeit more densely forested. There were even many of the same Pokemon, a few of whom she fought on her way through. Mithril proved just how dense that armor really was as Zigzagoon after Poochyena tried to so much as phase it. Once a bird- excuse her, Wingull- threatened to give it trouble, but Cerberus quickly took care of that, proudly resisting its Water Gun. Morgan was really starting to feel she was getting the hang of this whole type match-up thing.

At last, she spied a flash of red darting behind a tree up ahead. "Oy! Sera?" she called out, running to catch up.

The pinkette stepped back out into the open, and upon seeing Morgan over her shoulder spun around excitedly. Mudkip ran behind her. "Oh, hey! What took you, Slowpoke~? I was about to come back and start looking!" She giggled.

_Don't…_ Morgan thought, but she forced a smile. "You know. Battling, training up," she offered, straining for pleasantry.

"Ooh~ So what Pokemon did you catch?"

It took all her willpower not to physically react. "Nothing yet. The store was out of PokeBalls."

"Were they?"

_Don't say it._

"They had plenty when I went."

_She fucking said it._

"I even caught this Zigzagoon," she said, holding up a PokeBall.

Morgan always prided herself more on intelligence than willpower anyway, and as such she gave in to a face palm. "Of course you did." At least Zigzagoon didn't seem to be threatening in any way.

"Huh?" asked Sera. Morgan wasn't sure what was confusion, but when she looked up, she found Sera looking not at her, but at Mithril.

"Oh. Yeah, h- it's my second starter." Morgan didn't think she was comfortable calling Mithril an it. ...Maybe xe.

"Yeah, I heard."

_How?_ thought Morgan. ...Right. Probably the constantly televised feed of their journeys. Okay.

"Super congratz, though! And he sparkles just like Flash, how cool!"

"Does he- xe? … Why do you say he?" If she was Birch's kid, Morgan supposed it couldn't hurt to ask, but Sera responded with a blush.

"Oh uh.." She grinned sheepishly. "You know. He just seems like a dude? I guess Beldum don't really have a physical sex though."

"Ah. I was thinking of going with xe, and maybe xir? As pronouns, I mean."

Sera looked perplexed a moment, but then turned to Mithril again. "Hm?" She nodded. "Yeah, xe seems to like that fine~" she chimed.

Morgan quirked an eyebrow as she turned to Mithril, who remained as still as ever, and who also still seemed no more sparkly to her than metal rightly should be, but she digressed. "If you say so."

About that time, both their Navs beeped in unison. As Morgan instinctively began to grab hers, Sera just laughed. "Whoops! I think they're telling us to get on with the battle."

"Ah. Okay, sure."

"If you don't mind, I think I'll leave Wander out of this one. The Zig I mean. I just caught him and he's in pretty poor shape. So what do you say. Starts versus starters, one-on-one?"

"Sounds fine to me."

"And no casualties, right? I mean, it wouldn't be very fun for anyone if we didn't keep things friendly between us." The giggle to follow only made Morgan more confused.

"Iiii… did not realize that was a concern? But yeah uh. Of course."

The girls found a nice open space nearby and took paces. Cerberus climbed down Morgan's arm and hopped to the ground; he and Mithril each took place at her side. Meanwhile, Mudkip did the same for Sera, and she released Flash to take her other.

The PokeNavs began to beep again, and although it was only beeps, Morgan could practically hear them saying, _3… 2…. 1….. GO!_

"Flash, let's go!" called Sera, and the golden bird took centerfield.

...Huh. Morgan supposed she could see a bit of sparkle to him now. She wondered why that seemed like such a big deal to people, though. But back to the task at hand, she realized she'd never seen for sure what type he was. Assuming Flying due to his shape, Morgan answered, "Mithril, you first!"

The pairs stared each other down a moment, then at last the girls called out in near unison, "Take Down!" "Ember!"

The quicker bird began to form hot flames in its mouth, and Morgan's arms went limp. "...Say _what._"

-

The battle was over quicker than it began, and a very disgruntled Morgan recalled both of her charred and injured Pokemon. "I need a fucking Wingull," she muttered under her breath.

"Wha'd you say?" asked Sera, approaching.

"Nothing." Morgan sighed and shifted to a smile. "It's all right. Perhaps soon enough I'll figure out which act of heresy I'm being punished for and be able to apologize to whichever god I offended."

Sera stared blankly.

"Never mind."

"Oh, but hey, you should let me heal your Pokemon!" her rival insisted, digging out some potions. … Morgan didn't actually know that some of them were _called_ potions; she just recognized strange liquids with healing properties in vials as being such.

"Hey, you don't have to do that. Don't waste your money on-" But Sera was already swiping a ball from her, and the nozzle of the bottle was pressed to the button of the ball. Even as Sera pulled the trigger, Morgan's Nav made a sound to indicate that a Pokemon was in much better health.

"Don't be silly. We wouldn't want you walking around without protection."

Now Morgan felt a bit guilty for being so short with her up to now. "That's… actually really sweet, thank you."

"No problem~" sang Sera as she took Morgan's other Pokemon.

"You should let me pay you back when we pass back through Oldale." Come to think, Morgan probably should have bought potions previously even if the PokeBalls were sold out. Whoops.

"Hm? Oh, no, really it's _no_ problem! I have loads of these."

Morgan… wasn't quite sure what to make of that. "But.. we're on a limited budget, right?"

"Well, yeah," Sera answered.

_Good, for a second I thought it was just me._

"But I mean, that's just what daddy's allowed to pitch in. I've got over a decade of saved allowances to put into this too." She chuckled.

"But…" _Credits…? Poke-..._ Morgan gave up.

"What's that, Mudkip? … Oh, you're right!"

"Dare I ask."

"Mudkip feels really bad that we probably bought the last of the PokeBalls in stock, so here! You should take these!"

"Sera I-" Actually. No. No Morgan was not going to bother arguing.

The red-cloaked girl counted out 10 balls out of apparently a good number more stuffed in her basket. "Here~! That should make things a lot easier. So be sure to have lots of new Pokemon for me to fight next time we battle, all right~?"

_Here, let me keep showing off my vast excess of expendable funds, because there's absolutely no way this could be condescending!_ Morgan mentally mocked. _Oh, what? __**Mudkip**_ _says you're a pathetic trainer. Aren't I __**so**_ _damned adorable, __**teeheehee**__? ….Blugh._

By the time Morgan came out of her thoughts, she found Sera heading off already. "See yoooouuu!"

She couldn't exactly say she was heartbroken. "Byyyye," she feigned sweetly, then rolled her eyes.

"_Now_," Morgan huffed, finally alone. "About that Wingull…"

-

She did not catch a Wingull. In fact, Cerberus accidentally killed the next Pokemon they encountered, so Morgan caught nothing.

Deciding to try 101 again, she cut her way across Oldale, stopping for Potions on her way through. Of course, _now_ they'd gotten in a shipment of PokeBalls, but she decided she'd be fine on those for now.

The day had really flown by. It was already mid afternoon by the time she reached 101 again.

"All right, so… Here, Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon…"

Nothing ventured too close for a while. At last, a Wurmple found itself within her sights- only to be promptly pounded until it ran scared, leaving Morgan no time to attempt capture. "And I guess we'll have no 101 Pokemon either. Well, shit."

Then, just as she was heading back toward town, Morgan heard a voice that made her cringe.

"Morgan! Over here!"

… Not again. Why was she shout-whispering? Against her better judgement, Morgan humored her rival. "What is it?" she asked as she approached, also remaining quiet.

"See that? There's a Pokemon over there!" Sera pointed in dramatic fashion to what was clearly the butt of a Poochyena.

Morgan deadpanned. "...This is a wild habitat. They tend to do that. Existing and all."

Sera smirked and rolled her eyes. "Of course, silly. But _this_ one has a rare move!"

"...I'm listening. How do you know?"

"Just look!" She held up her PokeNav, which seemed to be issuing some sort of radar. Morgan didn't catch all the information listed before Sera took it back, but she could see it was much more than the battle screen. "If you haven't used it yet, this is the DexNav, by the way."

Morgan vaguely recalled that name, she thought. She was definitely going to have to figure out how to use that now.

"Whenever the DexNav detects an especially noteworthy Pokemon nearby, it'll inform you. Then you just have to sneak up on it!" Still, she whispered loudly.

"I see. That sounds pretty neat, actually."

"Here, watch me. I'll show you how!"

"...how to…?"

"You have to move veeeeryy….."

"Are you showing me how to _sneak_?"

"Quietly….."

"Sera, you know-..."

"Big…. easy…."

"I may have been a mage and not a rogue-"

"Steps…"

"But seriously, I promise you."

"Don't…"

"It's not…"

"Wanna…"

"Rocket science…"

"Scare 'em."

"I get... the idea..."

Yet Sera did actually surprise her, as when she got close enough she just… sort of… stuck her foot out and _poked_ the Poochyena.

"A model rogue if I ever saw one," Morgan muttered to herself.

Yet somehow it worked, as the Poochyena engaged in combat. It appeared the fuzzball knew how to produce fire in its mouth, but rather than shoot it like Flash's Ember, it used it to bite. Mudkip was not terribly concerned. Together, he and Sera made quick work of the Poochyena, who the girl proceeded to capture.

"Awesome!" cheered Sera. "Great job, Mudkip. And that makes four~"

"Er… Congratz? ...Was that really your first Pokemon since coming back to the route?" Morgan asked, just a touch skeptic.

Sera grinned sheepishly. "Well… I may have avoided the more populated areas and watched my step to avoid combat until the DexNav found something, but it still was yeah."

Although 'cheater' was the first word to come to mind, the words Morgan found herself instead saying were, "...Huh. That is a really great idea."

"Right?" Sera giggled. "Man, I can't imagine being one of the poor losers doing a challenge like this before the DexNav was invented. It's a pretty recent thing, you know. Only some of the most recent entrants have had it before us."

_And the most wealthy_, Morgan guessed, but she supposed in this case she wouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth. ...Ponyta. She remembered that one from her video. A gift Ponyta, yes perfect. She was totally becoming an official uh.. Pokemon..world...er. Yeah, nailed it.

"But we should be moving again. I think I'm gonna head to the Pokemon Center in Oldale and get these guys healed up before moving on. You.. heading that way per chance?" The way her eyes pleaded, Morgan couldn't decide if she was sad or ecstatic to let her down.

"Nah, mine are pretty good. Plus I already blew my chance here so I want to go try out the DexNav on the next route."

"Daww.." For a moment Morgan almost believed the pout to follow, but it soon cleared up. "Ah well~ This is really better anyway. See you around again, rival!"

They part ways again, and Morgan did hope it would take a little longer to bump back into each other this time.

-

She decided rather than cut all the way back through Oldale, practically on Sera's heels, it would be much easier and faster to just cut the corner outside of town between the routes.

As Morgan approached the far side of the designated path, she could see the trees grew much thicker. _Makes sense_, she thought. _Road less traveled. ...Or lack of road, rather._ But she was only going maybe a few hundred feet at most, and she felt quite at home in dense woods. Although her lanky build may have seemed a touch clumsy, she was surprisingly light on her feet when it came to that sort of thing. Surely it would be enough to shave a half hour or so off her route, at any rate.

The moment her foot hit the line, her PokeNav began _blaring_.

"_**WARNING. YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE BOUNDARY LINES. PLEASE, STEP AWAY FROM THE BOUNDARY LINES."**_****

"What the hell?!" she fumbled and nearly dropped the device in her search for a mute button. Cerberus abandoned her shoulder, and even Mithril seemed bothered by the noise, beginning to make a few uncomfortable sounds of xir own as xe backed away.

"_**-SE TO THE BOUNDARY LINES. PLEASE, STEP AWAY-"**_

"I'm _stepping, _I'm _stepping_!" exclaimed Morgan. Once she'd put herself well back within the map's range, the blaring stopped. A few moments later, it was replaced by an all too friendly sounding _ding-__**dang**__-dong~_

"_Greetings~"_ chimed a robotic but feminine voice. "_This is Navalie, your personal PokeNav assistant. This is a __**friendly**_ _reminder that Trainers are under __**no circumstances**_ _to leave the designated map areas while traveling on a League Journey. __**This**_ _is for your __**own**_ _safety! __**Remember!**_ _The Pokemon League __**cares**__. Stay safe, trainer!" _The voice shifted to a male, who spoke in a more subdued and less sing-songy tone. "_This message provided by Devon Corp and the Pokemon League. Train on!"_

Still catching her breath, Morgan once again eyed the boundary, and then her Nav again. "What… the hell." Another deep breath. "That's oddly… _exact_ on the map boundaries, huh?" Cerberus shuddered, and Mithril hung closer than usual as they began to walk again. "Guess we're going around after all." Morgan meant the words to be light and teasing, but the Pokemon's lingering reactions may have spooked her more than the surprise blaring.


	5. Turnaround

Fortunately, the remainder of the journey to Route 102 was fairly uneventful. One more wild battle caught Morgan just as she left 101, but it was nothing her Pokemon couldn't readily handle. In fact, Cerberus seemed more relaxed after; she imagined it took his mind off things.

Upon at last reaching her destination, Morgan turned her focus to the PokeNav. "Now, where is that…." Ah, this seemed to be it! ...Maybe? So far it only told her there were all the same Pokemon here she'd encountered on 101, along with reminding her she hadn't caught any of them. "No, really.." she mumbled. But it definitely said DexNav. Sera said it reacted when it 'picked up' something so maybe she just needed to walk around?

She was careful to stay out in the open, where she was less likely to encounter a Pokemon before she was ready. At last, the Nav did start to beep! Startling slightly, she looked down to see a radar pointing her in the right direction. She could see nothing with her own eyes in the high grass that way, and so relied on the machine to guide her.

Her pulse began to quicken as she grew closer, wondering what sort of creature she may encounter. Would it be among those she'd seen, yet more impressive, like Sera's Poochyena? Or would it be something new altogether?

Nose stuck in the screen, she grew closer…

Closer…

"HEY, YOU!" a child's voice shouted.

Morgan startled so hard she dropped her PokeNav… only to find it did not hit the ground, but rather 'caught' itself and began to float until it was back around chest level. "...What?" Examining and poking at it, she found it easy to move, yet determined to return to a similar relative position whatever she did. She grabbed hold again, and it felt no different- although she saw whatever Pokemon it had been tracking no longer seemed to be nearby. Unsurprising. She clipped it on her belt as it had often been, and it stayed. Yet when she again took it off and dropped it, it had a similar reaction.

"Hey! You ignorin' me?" The child from before had approached now, and stood just a few yards from Morgan.

"Trying," she muttered. "Hang on, kid, I'm doing something." She looked to her Beldum companion. "Mithril?"

Mithril remained still as ever, but let out a very tiny hum. Cerberus translated by shaking his head.

This didn't make any sense. She'd seen a PokeNav dropped to the ground. ...Then again, wasn't it a different model? She sighed. "Guess I'll find out later…"

"What is wrong with you?" the kid asked.

"The pursuit of science," answered Morgan dryly.

"You're acting like you ain't never seen a PokeNav afore."

Morgan pursed her lips hard enough at yet another… she was going to start thinking of this as 'foreigner-shaming'... remark that she wasn't even concerned with the grammatical nightmare of his sentence. "So I take it you know why it floats," she said flatly.

"Course." A pause. "Well I mean, I don' know the how ner nothin', but all- you're doin' a League Challenge, right?"

"Pretty sure."

"Good, I was right then. The newbie who started from Littleroot yesterday." It seemed Morgan had a fan. "Yeah all the challenger Navs do that nowadays."

"Huh." Had Sera's that she'd seen? Honestly, while she didn't remember any such thing, she couldn't confidently say it hadn't, either. Easy to miss what you're not looking for, and all. So Morgan poked her own Nav again and shrugged. "Well, guess that could be convenient."

"But now it's time for a battle!" exclaimed the boy.

Morgan blinked, looking him over, then looked out at the grass. "Uh… No thanks."

The child became huffy. "You have Pokemon with you, and that means you're a trainer. When two trainers's eyes meet, they have ta battle!"

"Actually I tend to avoid eye contact so-"

_Beep beep beep._ Oh gods…

"_This is Navalie, your personal PokeNav assistant. Trainers are hereby reminded that per League rules, all challenges by other trainers __**must**_ _be accepted."_

Morgan huffed. Right. 'Trainers' were reminded. ..'Reminded' for that matter. She was beginning to think she had the least thorough sponsors of all time.

"_In the spirit of the challenge, trainer battles may be declined only with League permission in a state of emergency. Stay strong, trainer!"_ The same 'provided by' message played afterward.

Morgan sighed heavily. She supposed that did make this more challenging than simply dealing with feral fauna and established gyms. All the same, if local trainers were allowed to just hunt her down and challenge her willy-nilly, she wondered just how far in over her head she'd really gotten. "Fiiiine. Let's get this over with."

"I warn you, my partner is super strong!" the boy exclaimed. Morgan made a hand motion urging him to hurry up. "Let's go, Zigzagoon!"

Morgan deadpanned. "...Kid. Are you really sure about this? I uh.. I've killed like five of those today and I really don't want you to lose your pet for-"

_Beep beep beep._

"I _get_ it, _shut up_. Ugh." She rubbed her temples, then took hold of the PokeNav to watch the battle statistics. "Go ahead, Mithril." The Beldum floated forward.

"Zigzagoon, show it your Tackle!" called the boy. The almost-racoon lurched forward and… bounced off the floating metallic Pokemon.

Mithril, in turn, slammed xir full weight into the poor mammal, nearly crushing it. It was crippled, but remained conscious.

"C'mon Zigzagoon, you can do it!" urged the boy.

"..._How?_" asked Morgan.

The Zigzagoon failed spectacularly to tackle once again.

"Just… please go easy on it." To her surprise, Mithril's second 'move' option lit up as xe attacked with more grace and precision than she would have imagined xe could. 'Hold Back', huh? Morgan had been afraid to try it before with such an odd name, but she quickly realized now that this was going to be her new favorite move.

Zigzagoon hung by a thread afterward, but hang it still did.

"You about ready to call it quits and get that thing to a doctor, kid?" Morgan asked.

To her dismay- and outrage- the boy insisted, "We're not done yet!"

"...Are you kidding?" ….Kid-...ing… She fought back an inappropriately-timed smirk. "Look, if you're not, I am-" _Beep beep beep. _"Oh _for fuck's sake._ _Fine_. Hold Back."

Mithril hovered around hesitantly, unsure what more it could do, but finally settled on a light blow to the head, cleanly knocking out the Zigzagoon without _quite_ killing it.

"Zigzagoon!" the boy cried with dismay so false it made Morgan nauseous, rushing to his fallen partner..

"Now get that thing to a damn doctor," Morgan commanded.

"A doctor can't fix-" He looked closer, then suddenly looked… slightly upset? "Wha'd'you mean it's not dead?" The boy sighed. He muttered something under his breath that Morgan couldn't quite make out, but she was almost certain she'd caught something along the lines of 'so much for' something something 'birthday'.

… What the hell kid. "I'm done with this." She turned to walk away.

….And took no more than ten steps before a wild Zigzagoon lept out in front of her, growling.

"For. Fuck's. Sake." Some part of her realized she should probably get more creative with her exasperations, lest her audience think this was her catch phrase, but that would have to come later. She sighed. So much for DexNav this route.

Thankfully, she had the consolation of at least being able to capture something, finally. Mithril's newfound Hold Back saved her the worry of accidentally killing her foes, although she did still worry they may run. With xir help, she was able to… somehow break the first PokeBall she threw. "Really." Ten of ten, best trainer. Fortunately, the next did capture the Zigzagoon.

Upon holding the newly filled PokeBall, Morgan felt… oddly underwhelmed. This was the first Pokemon of her journey. She expected this moment to feel more climactic, or at least significant. But it didn't. Perhaps it was because she'd received Mithril after starting, or perhaps because Zigzagoon felt like the most common species in this part of the world.

Whatever the case, she supposed she was at least a little grateful for the.. omen, if one could call it that. Of course, she could read _numerous_ _bad_ omens into the situation, too, but she was going to focus on the 'finally catching something' part. Hopefully she could get into a groove now rather than fumbling about.

"Guess I should name you, huh?" she asked the ball in her hand. The light and dark stripes reminded her of layered rocks, so... "Stratify sounds good."

From his perch on her shoulder, Cerberus gave her a disapproving look. "Well wha'd'_you_ wanna name her? Fluffy? Stripe?" His look told her that was worse. "That's what I thought."

* * *

A few other trainers challenged Morgan throughout the day, though fortunately none were quite so abrasive as that first kid. She did note that reactions to her showing mercy ranged from pleasant surprise to significant gratitude, which didn't really help her impression of this whole affair. But who knew? Perhaps if she became a big celebrity, the practice would catch on. That much was a very nice thought: to imagine that she might be able to make a positive difference in the region. She just had to stay optimistic, stick to her own morals, and hope for the best.

The sun went down nearly an hour before she reached Petalburg, but fortunately her PokeNav provided a surprising amount of light. She now allowed the device to simply float freely at her side, or wherever in the general vicinity it decided to go; Morgan was beginning to notice it moved around more in battles and suspected it was getting better camera angles. When she needed it, reaching in its general direction brought it to her hand. As such, she still couldn't decide whether she loved or hated this thing.

With its function as a lantern, a lot of Pokemon- particularly Wurmple- seemed to take notice of her as she passed through, but very few approached, and many actively shied away as she drew near, so her last hour was peaceful.

Of course, given Genevieve's previous urging to keep most activity to daylight hours, this meant she found the Pokemon Center, left her Pokemon to be healed up overnight, and quickly crashed.

For the first time since arriving in Hoenn, she awoke without a lizard on her face. While this was pleasant, she did find herself quite eager to get them back and to get Cerberus back on her shoulder.

Checking her Nav, she found a text message from Genevieve encouraging her to stock up on supplies while in town, which she quickly did, and to go see Norman at the gym, which she looked for an excuse to put off. Unfortunately, after breakfast, briefly playing with Cerberus and Stratify under the pretense of 'getting to know her new teammate', and what could be very loosely referred to as sightseeing or taking the 'scenic' route in a city that was both moderately run-down and about as generic as they come even to her foreign eyes, she found the excuse pool rather empty.

The Gym was well-advertised and easy to spot, and as she drew closer she saw a young boy coming out the front door in tears. A man followed behind, and although Morgan still could not recall meeting him, she did have a very vague sense that he looked familiar. If she had any lingering doubt that this was Norman, overhearing their conversation dispelled it- both by context and by the fact that his voice, too, seemed strangely familiar.

It made her shudder.

"Thank you so much," the boy was sniffling, "for sparing my partner."

Norman nodded. "I trust you'll use this opportunity wisely. You know you can challenge at any time, but I advise you not come back until you're much stronger."

"Y-Yes, sir… I won't, sir. Thank you, sir." The boy was somewhere between nodding and bowing as he backed away, then finally turned to walk away at a brisk pace.

Norman noticed her as the boy left, and called, "Ah, Morgan! I see you're making good time!"

"I guess I am," said Morgan. And… then… … "Sorry, your wife said I should come see you, but I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to do anything or whatever. Should I, like, challenge the gym, or?"

Norman let out a too-hearty laugh. "Not yet, girl. Not with _that_ team." Morgan pursed her lips, but realized it… _probably_ wasn't meant as an insult. He wasn't saying she was bad, just too new, right? "On yours and Sera's charted path, this will be the fifth Gym you face."

He moved closer, then leaned in a little too close for comfort, though his attention was at least on Cerberus rather than Morgan. "It's nice to get a look at your Pokemon with my own eyes, though."

Morgan felt Cerberus tense and feared he might attack for a moment, but Norman fortunately stood up straight before he did, raising a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "He looks like a fine specimen with a lot of spirit. Very good. Care to show me the others?"

"Sure." She released both. Mithril floated as calmly as ever, while Stratify looked around alertly before realizing there was no combat to be had and flapping her ears happily.

Norman looked them over one by one, starting with Mithril. "Ahhh, he's even more splendid up close."

"Xe," Morgan corrected.

"What?"

"Xe's even more-... nevermind." The way he was looking at her, she didn't feel like it was worth the effort. Besides, all she had was Sera's best guess that Mithril even cared.

Norman shrugged, then returned to his inspection. "He's proven quite an asset thus far, too, hasn't he? I realize you wouldn't be aware, but Beldum are an extremely desirable species. Their fully evolved form is considered just shy of Legendary."

Oh hey, acknowledging her ignorance without being a dick about it? Maybe she'd end up liking this guy after all. "Really? That's interesting. And explains why xe's been so useful."

Norman shrugged. "Well, that's part of it. There's also the matter of typing, as well as excellent breeding. You know, when Genevieve told me about Sera's starters, we were mostly just in the market for a Shiny to serve as answer to hers. So you can imagine what luck was involved that one of the few available was also such an excellent specimen."

"I see." Or mostly. "When you say 'a Shiny', though? Is that what Mithril and Flash are? And what's the deal with them?"

"Ahh. 'Shiny' is the common term given to a rare genetic mutation all Pokemon are capable of presenting. In most cases, Pokemon of the same species have very little variation in appearance. They might vary in size or have slightly different details or variances in color, but.. Well, for instance, a Treecko might range from spring green to grass green." Morgan thought Cerberus looked to be about the middle of that range. "But _Shiny_ Treecko are a vibrant teal with bright red tails. Unfortunately, not all Shinies are so drastic or appealing. But they all have a particular sheen that other Pokemon don't as well, and that alone makes them incredibly prized by a lot of trainers.

"On that note, even with selective breeding, Shinies are hard to come by. So if you ever see one in the wild on your journey, you are not only allowed but highly encouraged to capture it regardless of if you've already obtained a Pokemon from the area."

"Oh, neat." Hm, that may have come off a little flat or sarcastic? But really, she found this all incredibly interesting, and appreciated Mithril that much more as a result.

"I trust you to take _very_ good care of him. I'll be rather disappointed if Mithril doesn't make it with you to the end of your journey."

Morgan thought she detected a hint of a threat in his tone, but she could hardly blame him, honestly. So she simply nodded. "We'll do our best."

Norman nodded back, then gave a last appreciative nod to Mithril. "And the other one…" He moved on to Stratify, and looked her over briefly. "Well, I guess she's a start."

Stratify seemed to understand the judgment being passed upon her and hung her head in shame. She shook a bit before looking up to Morgan, but Morgan could only shrug before recalling both Pokemon.

Norman sighed. "A few trainers in my employ do use Linoone, Zigzagoon's evolved form, so I suppose with enough time and effort…"

"E-excuse me…?" A very small voice joined the conversation from somewhere behind Morgan. She turned to see a green-haired boy who looked no older than 11 or 12. The child was probably both thinner and paler than even Morgan, which said something on both accounts. "Mister… Mister Norman, sir?"

Morgan glanced back just in time to see Norman's entire demeanor soften and brighten. "Wally! What excellent timing."

Wally looked to Morgan now, and his gray eyes grew wide. "Oh wow. This- You're the trainer Mister Norman is sponsoring, aren't you…? M-..Morgan?"

Morgan nodded. "I am."

Wally almost seemed to choke, but repressed it and went on as before. "I- I've been watching your journey when I can. I can't… really get out much, myself, since I'm stuck in bed sick so much. So it's really nice to live… Is vicariously the word?" he asked sheepishly, smiling but averting his gaze. "Through trainers like you…"

Morgan had no idea what to say to that, but suddenly felt 300% more justified in undertaking this whole ordeal if it was helping a poor precious child like this. She had not a maternal bone in her body and yet some part of her still felt an immediate need to protect him.

"Speaking of, Wally. When was your move, again?" Norman asked.

"That's actually-" he paused to cough, a louder and rougher sound than he looked capable of producing- "why I'm here. It's… today."

Norman's mood fell. "Ahh. Well we sure will miss you around the Gym." Wally nodded, and Norman turned to Morgan to briefly explain, "Wally's been one of our favorite spectators for a while." This caused Wally to blush, and Norman turned back to him to add in a brighter tone, "But hopefully the move will help you manage your symptoms as much as we hope."

Wally sighed. "I guess it's worth a shot…" He did not sound particularly hopeful, though. "But… Mister Norman?"

"Hm?"

"I-... Do you think… Is there any chance you could help me get a Pokemon to take with me?" The last sentence was a bit quick and jumbled, as though he was trying to get it out before it could slip away. "M-mom and dad say they're too expensive to buy one since most are priced for trainers, but I just want one as a companion. And if it's a gift I'm almost sure they'd let me keep it. Just so I have someone to talk to when I leave. I'd take _anything_."

"Aww." The sound escaped Morgan before she realized it, and when she did she hoped that didn't sound mocking.

Norman seemed a little taken aback. "Wally…" He pondered it a moment, then nodded. "I have a better idea." Fishing in a low pocket on the side of his pants, Norman retrieved a PokeBall and handed it to Wally, who took it with a look of awe.

"What is it?"

"Empty." Both Wally and Morgan looked at him in confusion. "I want you to take that and catch your very own Pokemon." Wally's eyes grew so wide Morgan thought they might burst.

"Uh… Are you sure that's a good idea?" Morgan asked. "And isn't he a little young?"

"I'm 15," Wally protested. … How?

"He'll be fine," said Norman. "Particularly seeing as you'll be escorting him."

Morgan deadpanned. "I what?"

Wally turned to her, his momentary defensiveness now long gone in favor of awe once more. "Will you really?"

"I… should probably hit the road soon, though, if I'm going to keep pace with Sera." As it turned out, her earlier feeling of 'want to protect' was more metaphorical than literal.

Norman smiled at her, but it did not put her at ease. "Can I speak to you alone a moment?" Morgan shuddered slightly, but followed him a few paces away from Wally and listened as his volume dropped. "Dear girl, did I mention? Aside from inspecting your team for my benefit, the other reason you were to come see me was to get a PokeNav upgrade. You'll most definitely be wanting it as soon as possible, but it is the darnedest thing. I seem to be forgetting where exactly I put that disk. If you want me to remember, I suggest you go help Wally."

"Uh…. Right. I guess." She took it back. Everyone in this region was nuts. "But won't he need to weaken a Pokemon?"

"Lend him one of yours. I suggest Stratify to keep from plowing through whatever you find too easily, but have Cerberus or Mithril on standby in case either Stratify or Wally look to be in danger."

"I see. ...But you only gave him one PokeBall?"

"At this level, most trainers only _need_ one." Oh wow, that wasn't passive-aggressive _at all._ Like it was somehow _her_ fault that Stratify managed to break one. "Honestly, though. If he needs more, lend him yours and I'll reimburse you." Oh. Well that was okay, she guessed. "Letting him feel like he's only got one chance will make his victory feel that much more meaningful if he does it, though. The kid needs that sort of boost."

"Ahh. Okay, yeah, that's fair."

"Now hurry up. You _do_ need to be on the road some time today, and Wally needs to be back before his parents start to worry."

"Yeah, got it." Morgan nodded.

Norman clapped her on the shoulder, then turned back to give a warmer smile to Wally. "Sounds like you two are all set! I can't wait to see what you get."

* * *

The trip back to Route 102- the closer route to their side of town- was pretty quiet. Morgan didn't have much to say, and Wally mostly stared nervously at Stratify's ball in his hands. Twice he had to ask her to stop so he could catch his breath, but after that she managed to find a good pace.

When they arrived, Morgan pointed him to an area that looked to be lively. "Now, just stay calm, you can do this," she told him, the irony of _her_ giving someone else training advice not lost on her. She supposed he wasn't really a 'trainer' though, just a kid looking to get a cool pet. So she felt she was probably qualified enough for this. "You can try to get something's attention or wait for one to come to you, but don't get your hopes too high if you do. You'll probably end up with your own Zigzagoon or maybe a Wurmple."

Wally nodded. "That's okay. As long as it's mine, I'll be happy."

He really was a cute kid. Well, as long as he was happy, Morgan supposed she'd be happy for-

"Rawl?" Morgan turned toward the sound to see- holy shit that might be the cutest Pokemon she'd seen to date. And she hadn't seen anything like that during her trek through. Was.. it walking right up to Wally?

Wally startled slightly as he noticed it approach, jumping a half step back. But once he settled down, he looked to the little creature and "H-...hey there." He looked to the ball in his hand again, but the approaching Pokemon did not seem particularly hostile. So, cautiously, he knelt down and extended his free hand.

Morgan checked her Nav to see the thing was called Ralts, and the Ralts in question slowly reached out to touch Wally's hand. "Do…" Wally put Strat's ball in his pocket and brought out the empty one to offer to the Ralts. "Do you maybe… wanna come with me and be my friend?"

…. "Can you _do_ that?" Morgan asked. Why the fuck was she pummeling things into submission if… ?

The Ralts thought it over, but then smiled at Wally and reached out to push the button. In a flash of light, it disappeared inside the ball, which gave only a single small wiggle before dinging to confirm the capture.

Wally let out a weak but sincere laugh before hugging the ball tight to his chest. "My… very own Pokemon!" Morgan could practically see little hearts appearing above his head.

* * *

Norman seemed particularly impressed with Wally's catch, too, not only confirming Morgan's suspicion that it was rare for the area, but apparently in general. Meaning she was unlikely to ever get one herself. She was thrilled for Wally but admittedly slightly jealous. Ah well, she had Mithril, who was apparently far rarer, and about as visually appealing by her taste, albeit in a different way.

Norman 'conveniently' located the upgrade he'd mentioned and applied it to her Nav. He explained that it would allow her access to several new features, mostly of a social nature, and most of which she was unlikely to use much from the sound of them, but they were still nice to have available. But one that did catch her attention was the ability to Trade Pokemon.

"You need an app for that?" she asked. "Can't we just… physically hand each other…?"

Norman shook his head. "You certainly _could_, but this automatically takes care of swapping the registration data stored in the PokeBalls."

"Ahhh."

"Additionally, you can trade over distances with people whose Navs you've registered. Although you need approval for that. Currently, you'd only be allowed to trade with Sera that way, if you both agree to it."

Morgan nodded. "I see. Still sounds useful."

"Don't forget Wonder Trade!" Wally chimed in.

Morgan gave a quizzical look, and Norman smiled. "Right! To do a direct trade, you need League approval. But with Wonder Trade, you put up a Pokemon, and you'll get matched to a random person somewhere in the world who is doing the same- if there's ever not someone, wait 5 minutes and there will be, trust me. But since it's entirely random, you could get something much better or much worse. The mystery element is exciting, so you don't need approval, but there is a small limitation.

"Just like you can only capture one Pokemon on each route, you can only Wonder Trade a Pokemon you caught. That means Wonder Trade can effectively be used as a risky 'second chance' each route, but whatever you get you're stuck with. There's no continuing to re-deposit for third and fourth chances."

"I see! Yeah that sounds completely fair and really neat." This really was worth the detour. What a useful mechanic.

…

"Hey Wally. Could I get Stratify's ball back?"

"Oh! Y-yes, I'm so sorry. Here you go."

"Thanks." Immediately, she placed it in the appropriate slot of the PokeNav and hit the Wonder Trade option. The appalled look Wally gave her almost made her feel bad. Almost. "She's more cut out to be a pet than a fighter," she insisted. "Hopefully she'll go to someone better suited to her needs."

… It occurred to her only then that Wally was such a person. Damn, she should have seen if she could have traded Strat for his Ralts. Oh well, the Nav was informing her a trade partner was found already, and another second later Strat's ball disappeared. A few more seconds, and a new one appeared. The info on screen told her it was called Croagunk along with a picture. Neat. Poison/Fighting, that sounded formidable. Level- "Holy-" **22?** That was so much stronger than anything on her team, this was amazing. Definitely her new favorite feature.

"Thank you both very much," she said, not calling too much attention to her new advantage. "I should really get going, though." Wally and Norman both nodded and bid her farewell. "Good luck with your move, Wally. Bye all~"

And with that, she set off, eager to see what she could find on the next route.


	6. Into the Woods

"Good morning~" Sera chimed as she entered the Petalburg Gym.

Norman looked over his shoulder at the sound. "Ah, Sera. I was wondering when you'd be by. It's a little late for morning, isn't it?"

"It's still before noon," she defended. She had also overslept a bit, so it felt more like proper morning to her, but she didn't mention as much to Norman.

The Gym Leader simply shrugged. "I take it you're here for you Nav upgrade?"

"Yes sir."

As Norman retrieved the necessary disk, he mentioned, "You know you just missed Morgan. She's doing a quick favor for me at the moment if you want to wait for her to get back."

"Hm?" Sera pondered this a moment, but finally gave an unenthusiastic half-shrug. "No, I guess not. We just had a battle, and it'll be more fun if we expand our teams a bit more before we meet again." Also, she had begun to get the feeling that Morgan didn't like her very much. Ah well, she supposed they _were_ supposed to be rivals. Maybe Morgan was just competitive like that. Sera chose to believe that theory.

"Fair enough. And you know how to use all the features I've unlocked, correct?"

"Yes sir." She nodded. "Limited Wonder Trades, and direct Trades restricted to Morgan for now, right? I'll also be able to use the feature to send daddy any Research Pokemon I catch, correct?"

Norman's mouth twitched into a momentary frown, but he affirmed, "Yes, I believe so. Just to be clear, you won't be _using_ any of those extra Pokemon, _right?_"

"Oh, no sir! Just taking advantage of my traveling to help daddy with field research. He's really interested in all the Pokemon with rare moves cropping up lately, and wants to test whether they're the result of wild interspecies breeding or if something else is affecting the way they develop. It's really interesting either way, don't you think?"

"Hmmm. I suppose. Just make sure your 'daddy' knows the League is not going to be happy if your capture exceptions start affecting The Game."

Sera shook her head adamantly. "Of course not! As long as I've been dying to compete, it would be no fun if I cheated like that. ..In fact!" She brought out a PokeBall, inspected it to ensure it was the correct one, then loaded it into the Nav to transport. "I caught a Seedot for myself, but the Surskit I'm sending knows Fell Stinger. Weird, right? Most of the Pokemon capable of passing on such a move aren't native to Hoenn. Do you think some Masquerain that knew it flew in from far away? Or are purebreds starting to develop new abilities?"

Norman shrugged, but admittedly found himself a little intrigued. "Well, I'm sure the professor will do his best to figure it out."

Sera nodded happily. "I'd better get going, but thanks again, sir!"

"Good luck~" Norman said facetiously, but Sera just grinned. He was right to worry, after all. She was going to do awesome~

* * *

Once Sera made it out of the city, she released all five of her current Pokemon and gave them a minute to stretch. Spitfire, the Fire Fang Poochyena she'd caught before, was especially glad to be out, as was Flash. They proceeded to start an accidental game of tag to burn off energy. Of course, the longer Flash ran, the faster he got, leading to a losing battle for Spitfire, as well as much amusement for Sera.

Her Mudkip, still unnamed, was fine either way, but did enjoy being around everyone. Wander, the Zigzagoon she'd caught on 103, was true to his name and began exploring their nearby surroundings; while Pelt, her Seedot, remained as difficult to read as ever.

Once everyone seemed good and ready to move on, Sera asked, "So who wants to walk with me today?"

_I'm good_, Mudkip yawned. _Though the air does seem wet and salty here. I wouldn't mind enjoying that…_

_Ugh, good point,_ scoffed Flash. _My feathers feel sticky already. I think I'll pass for now._ He moved to Sera's bag and found his own Pokeball, then retreated inside. Spitfire, panting profusely, decided to interpret this as her 'winning' their game. Definitely! Ahaha, victory! ...pant… pant…

Pelt looked up at Sera briefly, quietly, then followed Flash's example.

"Guess that's a no from you, too," Sera mumbled. "Spitfire, you okay?"

_I will be_, she insisted. _As soon as I catch my breath._

Sera nodded. "So Wander?" … "Wander." … The Zigzagoon was far too busy inspecting a log to hear her. "_Wander!_"

_Huh! Wha? Oh._ He looked between her and some nearby mushrooms that looked super interesting. _Wh..what's up?_ he asked, even as he drifted farther from Sera to inspect them.

"Hm…" Sera thought a moment, then looked down at her Nav. "You really love exploring, don't you?"

_Yeah…_ he answered, focus still split. _I've never been this far from home before._

"Hoooow would you like… to try world travel?" This did catch his attention. "If I were to Wonder Trade you, it would mean leaving us-" not that she had any delusion he'd formed a strong bond in their whole day together- "but you could go somewhere totally random in the world. Whoever gets you might keep and train you like I would, but probably somewhere much farther from here. Or they might release you so you could explore the new wilds on your own, or they might Wonder Trade you again if they're not restricted, so you could see even more-"

She hadn't seen Wander move, but his paws were now on her knees and his face begging. _Dooooo iiiiiiiit._

Sera laughed, then reached down to scratch his ears one last time. "All right, all right. It was nice getting to know you, and best of luck wherever you end up!"

Wander leaned into the pets and gave her a thrilled smile, then went into his ball. Sera loaded it up and hit the Wonder Trade option.

A few moments later, she was matched up, and Wander was traded- ahh, to another region! He'd be so happy- forrrr… a Zigzagoon from there. Sera could only laugh. Zigzaguma, was it? … Sera would call her Zuma.

Well, Zuma, she already had two travel companions for this route, so she'd just have to get to know her in the next rest stop.

"All right, you two. Let's see what surprises Route 104 has in store!"

* * *

As it turned out, not many. The first Pokemon she encountered was a Wurmple who did not seem particularly eager to battle, so he was Wonder Traded for… yet another Zigzagoon, this one a male named Ziggy. Sera was aware she probably should have felt worse about being disappointed, but this was still a competition after all. She just wouldn't tell Ziggy that to his face.

She found two more Pokemon to capture for research purposes, and was sure her fans watching enjoyed watching the precision required for capture battles. And she fought quite a few trainers along the way. But it felt pretty uneventful to her.

In Petalburg Woods, she captured a Slakoth who put up very little fight and suggested Sera call her Koaf. Sera chose to keep Koaf in her party rather than Ziggy. Sorry Ziggy.

By the time it got dark, Sera was almost positive she was nearing the edge of the woods, but stumbling around in a dark forest for the last stretch only to still have another route between her and proper civilization was not an appealing prospect, so she decided to set up camp. Her full party joined her.

_You were really cool against all those Shroomish today,_ Mudkip was telling Flash.

The Torchic puffed out his chest. _Yes. Yes I was. I tell you, it wasn't easy, but I'm just that great._

_How was it not easy? _snorted Spitfire. _You didn't even have to touch them._

Flash's eyes widened as he deflated, then bristled instead. _H-hey! Just because I'm good enough to avoid the spores-_

"Settle down, everyone," Sera sighed with a smirk. "Someone help me set up for dinner." To her surprise, Pelt was the one to step up. Not that he was especially helpful without arms, but he managed to carry things on his head surprisingly well, and he was very dedicated, so Sera couldn't bear to turn him down.

_Well… I think you were _amazing, _Flash-senpai~_ chimed Zuma, eyes sparkling nearly as bright as Flash's feathers.

_Kiss-ass_, Spitfire mumbled, taking her leave and seeming to sulk a little. Sera resisted making a teasing comment, but only barely.

_Gee, what a novel concept, _Koaf commented, smile gentle and tone sugar sweet. _Different Pokemon are good for different battles. Amazing. Clearly we need to make a fuss over this._ Sera seemed to find this more amusing than anyone else on the team. Although Pelt did seem to shake a little for a moment. Was he angry or laughing, she wondered?

When they all finally got some food in front of them, though, things became rather more peaceful. A pleasant end to a pleasant day, as it was certainly too late for any-what was that noise?

Several of the Pokemon heard it as well, and all listened intently as they looked around. When there was another definitive rustling, Sera called, "Is someone there?"

_Show yourself!_ Flash called. Though of course if their visitor was human, they'd be more likely to hear, "Tor-chichic!" Sera's PokeNav let out a few beeps.

To their surprise, a voice answered, _Okay~_ and a Whismur trotted out into the open area illuminated by their campfire.

"Hey, get back-!" a human voice called after her, before its owner sighed. "Well, I guess the jig is up, isn't it?" A woman looking a good bit older than Sera stood from the nearby brush and followed the Whismur toward camp. "Sorry, this little one smelled food, and, well, you know how kids are." She shrugged and laughed.

Sera smiled at the newcomers. "Ahh. Well, don't be shy~" She looked down at her Nav to see a screen asking if it should resume broadcasting, with a small countdown before it did so automatically. Given their guests did not look hostile, Sera hit the option for no. She could always turn it on later if need be. "We could probably spare two more meals. Sorry the human food isn't that great, though."

The woman waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure it's fine. We definitely won't turn down a free meal."

As the woman and her Whismur settled in, Sera found it embarrassingly hard to take her eyes off her. Her dark features and deep red eyes were striking on their own, but there was something else Sera couldn't quite place. And, well, "That's quite the outfit you've got." To be honest that was a pretty big part of it.

The woman bristled. "Wwwhat about it?"

"Oh, uh.. It's just interesting. I really love anything red, if you couldn't tell," she said sheepishly, twirling a lock of her hair as she glanced down at her own red shirt, red cloak, over at her red tent, around at all the red bowls the Pokemon were eating from. "But the design is pretty unique, too. Are those horns on the hood?"

The woman chuckled. "Unique, huh?"

"...Yyyeah? Or, well, I haven't seen anything like it, but I guess I am sort of from Littleroot. Is it like a fashion trend somewhere?"

"You could say that."

_Or you could say it's a Team Magma uniform,_ teased the Whismur.

Sera blinked. "What's Team Magma?" Both the woman and the Whismur froze, and a moment later, Sera followed suit with a muttered, "Shit."

But a smile slowly spread across the woman's face. "So… I take it you can hear them too?"

Sera cringed. "Mmmay- wait, you too?" She brightened immensely then, and the woman nodded. "Dad never believed me. Mom said she's heard of people like me but said I probably shouldn't talk about it. But you're the first I've actually met."

_Wait, you're just gonna believe her?_ asked Spitfire. _She could be making that up._

_Wouldn't it be easy to disprove, though?_ Mudkip noted. _I think she's probably telling the truth._

The woman smiled. "Your Mudkip is quite the clever little fellow."

Mudkip gave a huge smile and hid his face. _Shucks! I was just uh…_ He laughed nervously.

Zuma covered her mouth to suppress a squee. _Senpai is so cuuuute._

Koaf sniffed a laugh. _And here I thought Flash was your 'senpai'._ Zuma was too busy fangirling to hear.

The humans both laughed at the exchange, then returned their attention to each other as the Pokemon antics continued in the background. "It's uh… It's really good to meet you. I have to admit, sometimes I've wondered if I was just crazy and imagining the whole thing… you know? It's nice to get… validation?" She smiled weakly but sincerely. "I'm uh… Sera, by the way."

"Oh, right. I think I caught a bit of your Kickoff the other day. I don't keep up with The Games much, but Aster likes them sometimes." She nodded to indicate the Whismur. "And you can call me Zinnia."

Sera smiled a little brighter. "That's a really pretty name…" Wow that wasn't obvious at all. Good job Sera. She should probably stick to the topic at hand. "Uh… Do… do you know any others?" she asked.

Zinnia thought for a moment before admitting. "I… A few relatives. But it's… probably a little different than your case."

Sera blinked and tilted her head. "Hm?" Well… "Ah, I guess if it's genetic for you…?" That was probably what she meant, right? Unless Professor Birch wasn't Sera's real father? Ahaha. No, that was a joke. She was pretty damn certain he was.

"I've heard rumors there are a few League higher-ups who might be more like you, though I couldn't tell you off the top of my head which ones or how accurate those might be."

"I see…" Sera bit her lip and pulled at her hair. "Would uh… Would you consider keeping an ear out and calling me if you hear anything? We could exchange numbers, if…"

"Ah… I don't think that's a good idea, actually."

Sera deflated. "Oh… Uh, no it's fine. I just-..."

"It's nothing personal. Reasons, and all."

Sera put up her hands and forced a laugh. "No, no, you don't need to explain. It's fine."

An awkward silence fell for almost a minute, but then Zinnia smiled brightly. "So hey, kid. You've only been a traveling trainer for a few days, right? How do you like it so far?"

Sera's spirit lifted again, and the girls and their Pokemon talked for a good two hours more before finally exhaustion threatened to claim Sera and she had to excuse herself to her tent. She wasn't sure how to offer to allow Zinnia to join her without it sounding like a rather different sort of offer, but fortunately the woman seemed actively excited to sleep under the stars, so Sera left her to it.

When she awoke the next morning, Zinnia was already gone- as was about half Sera's remaining food supply. For a moment, Sera found herself devastated, but upon a little further thought, she decided she was still happy to have met the woman, and that Zinnia probably needed the supplies more than she did. She'd probably have given her whatever she needed if she'd asked. And while it still sucked that she didn't- Sera double-checked to be sure, and found she was correct- at least Zinnia didn't steal something like her Nav or her Pokemon. Yeah… She wasn't so bad.

* * *

This same morning, Morgan woke closer to the middle of the woods, Cerberus flopping across her face at nearly the crack of dawn.

After leaving Petalburg the previous day, she'd caught a Wingull, which she was very tempted to keep to give her an edge against Sera's Torchic. But… Croagunk. With her being a beginner, it only made sense that most Pokemon people would put up would come from trainers more experienced than her, right? And the thrill of so many possibilities was too tempting to resist, so she traded it… for a Dunsparce, which was unfortunately much closer to her current team's level, and as such probably a downgrade from Wingull. Ah well. Her Dex informed her it wasn't native to Hoenn, so maybe the element of surprise would count for something.

Upon entering the woods, she'd captured a Wurmple, and traded it for… a Zigzagoon. This was frustrating even without her knowing Sera had made exactly the same trade on 104 earlier that day. She dearly hoped these lower level trades were a stroke of bad luck rather than indicative of what she should expect from Wonder Trade in general.

The morning was mostly spent fending off bugs and a few trainers of bugs, and lamenting she hadn't caught one of those cute little mushrooms she occasionally saw wandering around rather than a Wurmple.

Some time around noon, she checked her map to confirm she was nearing the end of the woods, only to notice a man in a labcoat ahead. As she approached, she could hear him mumbling something about not finding one yet. When he noticed her, he turned. "Oh? Hello there! Have you seen a Shroomish around here by any chance? I was hoping to find one…"

"Ha. You and me both," Morgan commented. "I've seen a few, but not for a while."

"Oh dear… What a terrible-"

A loud groan some ways ahead interrupted him, and a younger man dressed vaguely like a pirate? came forward. "Oh my gods, how long can you take?"

"Wh-who are you?!" the possibly-scientist exclaimed, taking cover behind Morgan.

"Dude. What makes you think I'm qualified to protect you, here?"

"I'm with Team Aqua, pal! I was supposed to ambush you when you left the woods, but you can't even make that easy, can you? Now, hand over your research or cower before my awesome Poochyena!"

As he unleashed the Pokemon in question, Morgan deadpanned. "Nevermind, I'm pretty sure I'm qualified." Sighing, she lazily pointed at the hyena-mutt. "Cerberus?"

The Treecko made quick work of it and came out in better shape himself to boot, placing his hands on his hips proudly.

"Anything else?"

The Aqua grunt stared bewildered for a moment, then quickly recalled his Poochyena, in critical condition but clinging to life. "We'll remember this," he threatened.

"K." As he turned tail and ran, the scientist began thanking Morgan profusely. "It… wasn't that big a deal, but you're welcome."

"You don't understand! Why, why my research is invaluable! If you'll escort me back to Rustboro City, I simply _must_ give you something as thanks!"

Morgan blinked. "Uh.. Sure. I guess I'm headed there anyway." She wasn't sure why he'd come out this far if he couldn't handle such weak opponents on his own, but hopefully this would at least teach him his lesson. "Consider me your personal bodyguard for the day," she half-joked with a wry smile.

"Oh thank you, _thank you._" And together, they headed to the forest exit.

.

Meanwhile, near the site of their encounter, a red-eyed Magma grunt watched from the bushes. Pursing her lips, she pulled out a highly modified version of a PokeNav and connected to her superior. "This is Petalburg Reconnaissance Team reporting," she said. "Tell Courtney we have a problem."


	7. Blackout

"Nice job, Zuma!" Sera congratulated as their latest opponent sulked off.

The Zigzagoon puffed up proudly in the wake of her latest victory. _I really did it! Senpai's bound to notice me at this rate!_

Spitfire rolled her eyes. _There are only six of us, it's really hard not to notice each o-_

_You're just jealous_, Zuma accused. _That I'm getting so much better and stronger than you __**on top of**_ _being so much **cuter.**_

Spitfire's back fur bristled fiercely as she let out an indignant bark at that, but Sera mumbled a gentle, "Calm down." Reluctantly, both complied, if with a last huff at each other first.

It was true that Zuma's strength was growing rapidly, and Sera could hardly begrudge her for being proud of her progress, but she worried her arrogance might be getting a tad out of hand. Such a thing was common with traded Pokemon, especially at lower levels, unfortunately. But once they got to Rustboro and Sera got her first badge, the energy it exuded should help override thoughts of defiance for a while. Of course, a scant few dissenters of the Games and the League accused this of being an immoral practice, Sera saw no issue with promoting cooperative attitudes among her teammates.

"Looks like it's just across this bridge now, guys," Sera chimed. At this rate they could even take a little while to relax in Rustboro. Sera had been there a few times, but it wasn't often she'd gotten to go to any city bigger than Petalburg, so she was quite excited.

"Hey!" a small voice called. "You have two Pokemon!"

Sera looked up to see a pair of twins, perhaps 10 years old if not younger. How cute! "Actually, I have _seven~_" she declared proudly, giving them a wink.

They both gasped. "Gina and I each only have one," the other twin said.

"But that makes two between us," the first twin, Gina, reminded her. Turning to Sera she asked, "Wanna have a double battle with me and Mia?"

"'With Mia and me'," Mia corrected.

Gina frowned. "Nnno, _you're_ Mia, I'm- oh that was grammar. Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

Sera laughed. "I'd love to have a battle~" And speaking of promoting cooperation among teammates! "Spitfire, Zuma, what do you say?"

The Pokemon looked at her a little indignantly, but both sighed their consent. _If I must,_ Spitfire murmured.

_Just don't hold me back~_ Zuma chirped brightly.

"Go Seedot!" "Go Lotad!" Oh nice. Fire Fang should make quick work of the prior, so they could gang up on the latter. This battle was in the bag.

. . . A pause was shared between them all. Looking around, Mia finally asked, "...Do you guys wanna-"

"Yeah we should probably get off the bridge," said Gina.

"Good point," chuckled Sera. So trainers and Pokemon crossed together to set up in the open field instead.

"That's _much_ better," said Mia, with a sudden wicked grin. "Seedot! Secret Power!"

"Say what?" Sera watched in horror as Spitfire got blindsided, and worse, the attack put her to sleep. "Not cool," she grumbled, bringing out her ball.

"Hey!" called Gina. "This was supposed to be 2 on 2! You wanna play fair, right?"

Wow. What little brats. Sera rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Fine, whatever. She'll probably only be out for like a minute or less anyway."

_Not to worry, ojou-sama! Zuma can handle this~_ the Zigzagoon assured her.

"I hope so," Sera mumbled. "Headbutt that Seedot!"

_I've got a better idea!_ She promptly used Baby Doll Eyes on the Lotad, which would have been great if the Lotad hadn't countered with an unaltered Absorb on Spitfire. But did the hit wake her up? Of course not.

"It's got _special_ attacks," Sera grumbled. "You're gonna have to just hit it."

_Fiiiine._

The battle was slow-going, but finally Zuma managed to knock out the Lotad. Spitfire was still asleep, and Seedot began Biding its time.

"Crap. This is gonna be tricky. If you hurry you should be able to take it down before it's finished storing energy but you have to do it _now,_" Sera urged.

Zuma tilted her head and shrugged. _What's the rush? Why not just wait until it fizzles?_

Sera grit her teeth. "Because _then_ it can use that stupid Secret Power again and it might be _you_ asleep." Heaven forbid she end up with both of them down.

Zuma sniffed. _Unlike sooome Pokemon, I think I could do a MUCH better job of avoiding silly effects._

Sera groaned, but a sudden bit of movement caught her eye. "Spitfire?"

The Poochyena at last awoke, and her eyes focused in on the Grass-type before her. She already knew her orders, and intent on proving herself, she leaped forth with mouth ablaze.

"Spitfire!" Sera called, reaching out, but she'd already made contact. The flames spread and washed over the acorn.

It was not quite enough.

Clinging to consciousness, the Seedot unleashed all the force it had just received twice over in a concentrated blast. Spitfire was dead before she hit the ground.

"What the _hell_, Zuma!" Sera spat. "You could have stopped this!"

Zuma looked between corpse and trainer with a frown. _What's the big deal? It was bound to happen._ With the equivalent of a shrug, she gave Seedot a last light Tackle to knock it out, no particular drive to avenge her fallen riv-er uh 'comrade', that was it.

"Oh poo! You beat us!" Mia whined as she recalled her Pokemon.

Gina clapped her on the shoulder. "It's okay. We still-... H-hey, lady, is your Poochyena okay?"

Sera quietly recalled Zuma and stuffed her ball into her bag before going and kneeling by Spitfire. "No, she's not." She double-checked her vitals on the very off chance her Nav report was wrong, but the pup was indeed gone.

"O-oh my gosh. I didn't know we were that strong?" Mia murmured. "We uh.. weren't _trying_ to-"

"It happens," Sera sighed. "Just part of the Game, right? Besides, I should've known better than to try to get those two to work together." She scrolled through some options on her Nav until she found the one she sought. A few moments after her request was sent, Spitfire phased and disappeared, just like all the fallen Pokemon in the wild. A small flash of light from Sera's bag indicated that her ball was taken as well. "I guess I still have Flash for Fire moves, and I won't really _need_ a Dark-type for a long time, statistically and historically speaking. But it still kind of sucks," Sera reasoned to herself, then sighed again. Forcing a weak smile, she turned to the twins and told them, "You two make quite a team, though. Keep up the good work."

"Uh… Yeah! Thanks, miss," said Gina with a nod. "Sorry again about the accident."

"Don't sweat it," Sera said. Then she excused herself to make the rest of the trek to Rustboro alone, in silence.

* * *

[A/N: Aside from better story justification as to why Spitfire was asleep, this is exactly how her death went in-game. To add insult to injury, though? The old lady _just_ past the bridge gives out a _Chesto Berry_. -_- ]

* * *

Morgan's own trek through the route a few hours later was far less eventful. She had to admit, as awkward as Dr. Scardee here was, the trainers they passed seemed to respect him a great deal- and by extension, her. A few still challenged, but they were much more polite. Although it did not seem wise to stop, Morgan was also rather pleased to see a lovely-looking plant nursery along the way. If she had time to spare later, she'd have to try to remember to pay it a visit.

Rustboro was not only the largest city Morgan had seen in Hoenn thus far, but among the biggest she'd spent much time in in general. It may have been a little overwhelming, had she come alone. Fortunately, between her Nav and Scardee casually sliding into the role of helpful tour guide, she felt much more confident she could find her way through the few streets that were relevant to her right now.

"And here we are!" Dr. Scardee exclaimed. "The Devon Corporation's main headquarters!"

Morgan gaped up at what was quite possibly the tallest building she'd seen in her life, at least this close up. Pictures or seeing things at a distance were one thing, but this was downright intimidating. She supposed it made sense, as important and powerful as the company apparently was, but… still, wow.

"Thank you so much again for saving me, and escorting me this far. If you'll just come inside a moment, there's something I'd love to give you."

Morgan agreed and followed him into the lobby. The moment she stepped through the door, the PokeNav floating beside her beeped twice and hit the floor. "Uh-?"

As she picked it up, Scardee exclaimed, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I should have thought to warn you. Devon has so many sensitive projects in the works, they can't risk anything getting out by trainer broadcasting, or anyone recording, or uh- well you get what I'm saying. So all PokeNavs automatically disable inside the building. B-but don't worry, it's built to take impact, so it should be fine."

"Uh… huh." The fall damage wasn't really Morgan's concern, but okay.

"On that note, there are some chairs here by the elevator if you'll just wait for me to run up to my office." Morgan nodded and took a seat, taking the opportunity to double check her inventory and considering what she might want to buy before her first Gym battle.

Finally, Scardee returned, but when the elevator door opened, he beckoned Morgan to join him rather than exiting. "O.. kay?" When the door closed behind her, she asked, "What's up? Where are we going?"

"We're not. But the security camera in this elevator is broken right now." The hair on the back of Morgan's neck stood on end. UH… Noticing her reaction, he put his hands up. "N-no it's nothing uh- I just.." He stopped and took a deep breath. "This is highly confidential. No one can know I'm giving you this." He produced a small machine and placed it in her hand, placing his own over the top of it.

"Wwwhat is it?"

"This is my groundbreaking Experience Share. The prototype, but a fully functioning one, I assure you. I've found your information in the system and registered it to you, but no one should be looking to notice something like that. So… What it does is hone in on and manipulate the unique energy that makes up a Pokemon's body. As you may have noticed, Pokemon don't grow quite the same way we do. When they get stronger, it's more… permanent, for the most part. When switched on-" he moved his hand to point out an on/off switch- "my device reads the energy signatures every time such a change occurs, and _replicates_ that energy in small bursts that get distributed to every nearby Pokemon registered to the same trainer."

Morgan's mouth hung open. "Uh… So, what you think you just explained to me is that this thing literally breaks the laws of physics?"

"I'd- more say _bends_ them," he insisted. "And Pokemon are such fascinating creatures, this isn't even the strangest thing science is capable of. But as you can imagine, it would be very easy to abuse a power like this. So it should help you greatly on your journey, but for your own safety, no one can know you have it."

"Whoa, hey, I- I couldn't just… Is it even okay for you to give this to me? Like, isn't this cheating and-"

His hands grabbing hers tight silenced Morgan, and in his eyes burned a more determined fire than she'd have thought possible from the awkward bumbling scientist. "Morgan," he said firmly. "_You saved my life._"

It took her a moment to find her voice, at which point all she got out was a "B-but all I did was-"

"I'm sure it didn't seem like much to you, but…" He took a deep breath, and one hand moved up to pinch the bridge of his nose in hesitation. "Do you remember the uniform that man was wearing?"

Uniform? The pirate get-up? "Kind of?"

"He was with Team Aqua. I… I hope you'll never cross paths with them again, but you should know… They're an extremist organization- some suspect outright terrorists. They've been mostly covert up until now, only just starting to make local news in a few places around Hoenn, but… People like me, we've known about them… longer… Morgan, with the kind of work I do, they may very well have killed me for my research. It doesn't matter that he wasn't a very strong trainer; I'm not one at all. Had you not come along when you did, I…" His hand covered his mouth, and Morgan thought she saw tears forming behind his glasses.

"I… I see…" Well, that was… Humbling. And encouraging, in a way? In her adventuring days, she and her companions had saved lives before, but knowing she was still capable of it here, on her own… She'd certainly have to keep an eye out for this Team Aqua, too. It sounded as though others in their ranks may not be so easily dealt with. "But is it… okay? This sounds really important."

Scardee sniffed and recomposed himself. "Ah, yes, I promise. Figuring out how to build it took much longer than actually doing so, and I hadn't reported its completion yet. Thanks to you, I can build another- probably with a more attractive design this time, even. It should only set me back a few weeks at most. Just promise me you'll use it responsibly, and won't tell anyone about it."

Morgan nodded solemnly. "I promise."

Scardee smiled at her. "If anyone does find out on my end, we'll call it… field testing. Just stay safe out there."

"I'll do my best."

Bearing the weight of this new responsibility, Morgan bid him farewell and left Devon. Conveniently, the Gym was right across the street, but rather less conveniently, it seemed it was closed for the evening. At least she'd know right where to find it tomorrow. So to the Pokemon Center it was.

Once she was thoroughly settled in, Genevieve called to congratulate her on another progress benchmark and ask how she was doing. Morgan had to admit, forceful nature and the whole debatably-kidnapping aspect aside, she did appreciate how sincerely Genevieve seemed to care. She could have stuck to business talk, and that was certainly priority, but she branched out, too. She asked how Morgan was liking her journey thus far, what she thought of the Hoenn scenery, how the food compared to home, what her favorite Pokemon that she'd seen but not caught was so far and why she liked it-

What it was like battling that strange pirate man, and what that nice doctor had given her during the time her Nav was offline. "Uh…" Of course, he'd mentioned wanting to give her something before they'd headed inside, hadn't he. Yet she came out with nothing she could show… "Some really fancy candies he had at his office," she lied. "We ate them all there, and I forget what he called them, but they were pretty good."

"Aww. That's so nice. What a sweet gesture." What a relief, she wasn't asking for details. "What's that, Muffin?" Morgan heard her saying. "I suppose that means it's time for dinner. Well, I'll let you get some rest then, dear. ...Oh, and don't forget to take advantage of the Center's laundry service. Your clothes are starting to look a little dingy."

Morgan barely stifled a laugh as she rolled her eyes. "Sure thing, mom," she teased in response.

. . . Wait that silence was too long. Shit what did she say? "Ah.. Just… make sure you look nice tomorrow. Good night, Morgan."

"... Night." Click.

Well that was awkward… She guessed Muffin may just have been distracting, if Purrloin were anything like every other cat ever. Still, she might want to put that joke on the Not Okay list just to be safe. Eh, no sense in dwelling on it right now, though. She was turning in a little earlier than usual, and that meant time she could spend chilling with Cerberus and getting to know her other Pokemon more outside of battle.

Heck, maybe they could even… _watch tv!_ Wouldn't that be a novel treat. What kinds of shows did Hoenn even have, aside from other televised trainers? Actually, that was certainly tempting as a learning tool if she couldn't find anything else…

However, in the end, she found herself sucked into a cartoon about an apparently super-powered talking… Jellicent, were they calling it? Teaching a class full of middle-schoolers who were supposed to be trying to capture their Pokemon teacher. It was the most ridiculous premise and she could not look away. ...Crap, when did it get so late? ...Well, technically she didn't need to get to the Gym right as it opened its doors or anything, so she could probably afford one more episode… or two… or….


	8. Rising

After her rather draining morning, Sera had been guilty of spending the rest of the day indulging in distractions. The energy and bustle of the city had certainly helped her feel better, as had Mudkip and Flash's consolations once she felt up to letting them out. Later in the afternoon, she'd decided to drop by the Trainer's School and troll whatever students and teachers were still hanging around. Being the Professor's daughter was not without its perks. Some of those perks just happened to be a little less mature than others.

But now, after a day spent improving her mental state and getting a good night's sleep, Sera was up bright and early. The Gym wasn't quite open when she got there, which was perfect for Sera, as it gave her time to swing by Route 116 first to see if she couldn't get another useful Pokemon beforehand. In anticipation of this capture, she kept only five spots in her party filled.

Thanks to her DexNav and stealth experience, she was able to be pretty selective about it. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, but expected she'd know it when she-

Suddenly, her Nav lit up like Christmas, alerting her of an extremely special Pokemon nearby. A Taillow that not only knew Boomburst, but that the Nav estimated to be _Level 16!_ Even _Flash_ wasn't quite there yet, and if Sera was being honest, he might have been just a little higher level than a starter ideally should have been when she'd left Littleroot.

She had no trouble finding him, as the aggressive bird soon divebombed her and Mudkip. "Shit. Water Gun!" she cried. But the speedy swallow swooped out of the way. Sera groaned. "Foresight then." That should help Mudkip key in on its movements.

Mudkip fought well, but that Boomburst was _devastating, _particularly from so powerful an opponent. It looked like Taillow was slowing down tho-_SHIT. _A sudden Quick Attack made up for his failing energy and sent Mudkip flying.

Sera's heart stopped, but a quick glance at her Nav as she scrambled for his PokeBall confirmed hers was the only one, _thank the gods._ "Mudkip, return!"

She didn't have a lot of time to choose a replacement as he turned his sights on her, hissing something about _human filth,_ but Sera's Slakoth was sent out soon enough to subvert his gaze. "Koaf, Yawn," Sera commanded. Koaf did just that, and it quickly caught on.

The Taillow was visibly drowsy, but still had some fight left in him. A Wing Attack flipped Koaf over on her back, and she rolled her eyes as she let out an exasperated sigh. _This is definitely going to end well_, she droned.

Sera bit her lip, red eyes dashing between Slakoth and Taillow. "Y-you can do it, just hang in there."

Koaf tried for a moment to push herself up, but as she saw the Taillow rocketing skyward in preparation, she shifted her effort instead to slowly raising her hand.

The Taillow plummeted to reach literally supersonic speed until it created a thunderous burst of force, great enough to send Koaf tumbling, her body going limp as it settled. While no longer upheld, her hand retained its previous pose. Sera may never know if Koaf died flipping off her or the Taillow.

Fortunately, the Taillow at last fluttered to the ground asleep after that. Such an extraordinary Pokemon definitely deserved a special PokeBall, so Sera brought out the singular Premier Ball she'd obtained during her first shopping trip. One shake… two… The ball dinged!

Sera breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. She looked down at the nickname option presented on her Nav. Since "Death on Wings" was a little too long for the field, she settled for simply "Wings" as his on-paper name. Hot damn was this one going to be a handful- but also what an asset.

It was definitely a shame about Koaf, though. Once she finally turned her attention to the little Slakoth, she let herself sigh and feel a bit guilty she hadn't recalled her sooner. She gave herself just a moment to reflect as she knelt down and pet the soft sloth one last time, then ordered her Nav to beam the body away.

Sera really had thought she'd be able to take a little more, or that the Taillow would succumb to slumber sooner. Had it used any of its other moves, Koaf probably could have pulled through.

Still, she found this death didn't affect her as badly as Spitfire's, which admittedly made Sera feel a little odd. Then again, after her entire childhood spent watching the Games, she hadn't expected to get as upset as she had over a death, either. With that, she told herself it was reasonable that it felt different when it was personal, but now…? Maybe she was still a little numb from yesterday, or maybe this death felt more meaningful, earning her a powerful new ally as opposed to just-... Well, a combination of accident and a certain Zigzagoon being a spiteful little shit. Sera was admittedly still bitter, and certainly wouldn't be using Zuma again until she had a badge.

And on that note, she supposed it was about time to get back and do that- once Mudkip was all healed, of course.

She brought out Flash as her new companion-slash-bodyguard and turned to head back to town… when a nearby flash of brown caught her eye.

It was just a Zigzagoon; she knew that without double-taking, but something caught her eye anyway. A glint of light? It wasn't Shiny, it wouldn't have been so dull. So what-

Sera eyes grew wide. "Flash, Ember!" she quickly ordered, pointing out the Zigzagoon.

The Pokemon panicked as it was hit and tried to run, but to Sera's chagrin she found she had to pursue. "Don't let it get away. Hey! You, Zigzagoon!"

Flash's Speed Boost kicked in, and he sped ahead to cut off the foe. _Going somewhere?_ He smirked.

"I don't want to hurt you, just give me that crystal!"

The Zigzagoon backed a step away from Flash only to realize Sera was coming up from the other side, then turned to look up at her quizzically. She knew that while she understood wild Pokemon fine, many had a harder time understanding _her_ without PokeBall technology. "T h e. Crys. Tal," she repeated slowly, trying to make hand gestures to show what she meant.

The Pokemon looked at its prize, then barked a _Treasure! _as it tried to run again, earning a Peck from Flash. The Zigzagoon spun to Tail Whip him in the face as it tried to run perpendicular to Torchic and trainer, but Flash wasn't having it. Faster still, he again cut off his prey, this time using a less orthodox attack method and spinning around to deliver a surprisingly powerful kick to the head.

In the momentum of this, he began to glow, and Sera's face lit nearly as bright. Her partner began to change and grow, and soon before them stood a Combusken!

That was far more than the injured Zigzagoon was willing to deal with. At last it dropped the crystal and scurried off. When Sera noticed Flash's gaze follow, she held up a hand. "It's okay, we got what we want." As she knelt to claim her reward, Flash crossed his newly formed arms and mumbled something, sulking. Sera grinned. "No sense in going overboard. You're _way_ too big and strong now to waste time on such silly little things anyway."

That earned a smile as he puffed up with pride. _Good point. I __**am**_ _pretty great…_

"Yes you are~" Sera teased with a laugh. She hugged her precious partner, then stood and turned her attention back to the object in hand. "Now let's get going. There's someone I'd be willing to bet will be happy to see you!"

* * *

Morgan awoke at a surprisingly decent hour (or perhaps not-so-surprising given she awoke by her now-usual method…), but her body wasn't happy about it. "Note to self: no more late night cartoons."

She suspected her Nav- or rather, those watching it- would not recognize her Exp Share if, as Scardee had said, it really was a one-of-a-kind prototype; but she made sure not to take it out of her bag anyway as she made sure it was switched to On. After triple-checking her supplies and party, she set out for the Rustboro Gym.

It was too early for most leisure activities, yet later than the morning work rush, so the streets were rather more peaceful and quiet than last night. It was actually kind of relaxing, even with the air feeling a little sticky and a low din of distant activity perpetually playing in the background.

Not long after the Gym came into view, though, her mood fell as a familiar face rounded the corner behind it. Morgan wished she had room to pretend she was wrong, but there was no mistaking that pink hair and Red Riding Hood cloak.

Sera soon saw her as well and somehow managed to become even more perky than she'd probably already been. "Morgan?! Hey! Come look at this!" she called. May as well.

Only then did Morgan notice the- "Oh wow!" The Pokemon beside her was probably bigger- or, well, _taller_\- than anything Morgan had caught thus far. She guessed Dunsparce was actually pretty long, but it felt less impressive to look at due to all being flat on the ground. Looking at the coloration and feathers, she asked, "Is… that Flash?"

"Hm?" Sera blinked, then smiled brightly. "Yup! He actually _just_ evolved maybe 20 minutes ago!"

Although very slightly disappointed Sera had beat her to that benchmark, Morgan had to admit it was pretty cool to see an up-close before and after, and smiled. "Huh, neat! Congratz."

"Thanks~" Sera chimed. "-Oh! But that's not what I wanted to show you!" Really? And what was with the urgency in her voice? Morgan watched as she pulled out a small off-white crystal, slightly rough and glittering so brightly it almost glowed. "_Morgan_," she said intently. "Do you know what this _is?_"

Blue eyes blinked, then moved between the crystal and Sera's face and back before squinting, but Morgan still came up with a "No, I don't think so. What is it?"

"This…" Sera was almost shaking. "This is a _Revive._"

Morgan deadpanned. "I swear if you're about to explain to me that this country has the power to bring back the dead…"

Sera was significantly more jarred by that than Morgan had expected. "I- Well I mean, sort of, yeah? It's _not easy_, it's not _cheap_, and it's not widely available… But the technology has technically existed for about 20 years now. With a specimen of high enough quality, they can even revive _fossils_\- Pokemon that were literally extinct for hundreds of thousands, some even millions of years before science found a way to bring them back. I mean… It _only_ works on Pokemon. People and animals don't have the right uh… whatever it is. But yeah."

A snarky response felt warranted, but Morgan was honestly far too fascinated by this right now. "... Go on."

"I don't really know the particulars, but I know that crystals like this one are a vital source of power." She stopped suddenly to look up at Morgan. "Have… you had any Pokemon die yet, by the way?"

"...No? Everything so far has been pretty easy to handle. I've just assumed the Pokemon around here are weak enough that it's sort of a 'training ground' for newbies."

Sera's lips pursed a bit and slight blush rose at that. ..._Oh._ Well, Morgan felt less bad about Sera evolving a Pokemon first, then. "Anyway… If or more-likely-when you do, you'll find an option on your Nav to teleport the body and assigned PokeBall back to the League, where they'll keep it safe for as long as you're on your journey. So if you can get lucky enough to find or get successful enough to _afford_ a Revive, you can get a partner back!"

Morgan felt herself twitch as the term 'necromancy' flashed through her mind. "And… there are no side effects from that? They're just good as new?"

Sera blinked. "As.. far as I know? I've never heard anyone say anything to the contrary." She shrugged.

Morgan's mouth twisted; she didn't know how to feel about that. "Then there's not _really_ any consequence to this whole thing? Like, if death is temporary does it even matter?" Cerberus turned slowly on his shoulder perch and raised a hand as he leered questioningly. Morgan sniffed what was almost a laugh. "Not that I'm not still gonna try to avoid it, don't worry Cer."

Sera twitched attentively a moment before realizing she meant Cerberus and returning to the topic at hand. Her eyes fell to the ground as she reached out to scratch Flash. "I mean... they're _incredibly_ rare, since no one knows where they actually _come_ from. There's no guarantee you'd find enough, and even with all the money in the world the League is only willing to sell so many. At most, one for every Gym Badge you've obtained. So it's more like a _really_ thin safety net than an actual fix. ...That, and I'm sure it's still pretty unpleasant." She chuckled nervously.

"Hm." This place just kept dishing out surprises, it seemed. Hopefully, Morgan wouldn't have to test all this for herself, but she supposed it was some relief to know if something happened to Cerberus or Mithril, there'd at least be a _chance_ of doing something about it. "So are you about to use that one, then?" Morgan asked. "Or saving it for later?"

Sera looked to the crystal again. "I guess it might be a little smarter to save it," she admitted. "But Spitfire- you remember when I caught her, right? I lost her yesterday to… a very stupid mistake." She frowned distantly, but shifted to a smile as her focus moved up to Morgan. "But I'm gonna fix it, and give her another chance." Morgan nodded in understanding. "And what about you? About to take on the Gym?"

"Yeah. From what I've been reading, it sounds like Cerberus will do great." Morgan smiled and idly reached up to pet the lizard in question.

"Oh, no doubt!" Sera chimed. "I'm about to go send this off for Spitfire and heal up my team, but after that I'll be right behind you!" Ooh, so Morgan would actually be a little ahead in that regard? Very nice. "Wait for me if you finish before I get back?"

Morgan debated it a little, but… Eh. This was pretty enlightening, and she seemed more bearable than usual today. "Yeah. I think I can do that."

Sera grinned wide and grabbed Morgan's hands to squeeze them encouragingly. "Best of luck!" Morgan could have done without the unsolicited touching and was sure her forced smile was pretty transparent, but she did appreciate the intent, she guessed. As Sera and Flash sped off, the younger girl turned back to wave with a "See you then!"

The gym itself was a breathtaking sight, resembling a museum in a way but with far more flair. Morgan wondered if what looked to be fossils in various locations also had the potential to be revived, or if they were merely props. She'd hate to imagine some of these things alive; they were _massive._

The battles within the gym, though, were surprisingly underwhelming. Or perhaps Cerberus was just a little too overwhelming. Each trainer employed by the gym fell quickly to his Absorbs, which kept him in absolute peak condition throughout. Morgan was becoming increasingly convinced she had, in fact, picked The Best Starter. And against the last trainer before Roxanne…

Cerberus let out a victory cry as he fell to one knee- not tired, of course, but to do a dramatic pose. Morgan rolled her eyes, but as they fell back to him, they saw he was beginning to glow, very differently from his absorption glow. "Cer?" As he began to grow, Morgan understood, and couldn't help smiling wide. When the glow faded, she looked to her Nav to see his species name was now Grovyle. Also, she looked to Cerberus himself to see that his Coolness Level had just gone up about a hundredfold. Holy _shit_ he really _was_ the Best Starter.

"Vyle~' He got to his feet and grinned back at her, offering a thumb's up.

After a small laugh, Morgan found her first thought was, "I just hope you know you're too big to jump on my face now." Cer's smile fell away, and Morgan laughed a little harder.

The Gym Leader herself was surprisingly young- maybe Sera's age at most. She also had some big speech, but Morgan found it so hard to take her seriously in that schoolgirl uniform that most of it went in one ear and out the other. She did manage to hear that she'd only need to beat two Pokemon to earn her badge.

The first one went down effortlessly, which was met with a cheer of, "Wow, great job! Looks like I got here just in time!" Morgan smiled at her rival before giving her final- … Oh wow that thing was bulkier than it looked. Morgan coughed slightly, then gave her _actual_ final order.

"Oh wow, that's one impressive Pokemon!" Roxanne exclaimed. She then went on with her congratulatory speech, as well as presenting Morgan with something called a Technical Machine- technical as in technique- and explained how those worked. Between that and the explanation that her new badge would apparently all but force obedience from weaker Pokemon, Morgan was honestly beginning to wonder if Pokemon were even truly 'creatures' in the traditional sense or if they were more some sort of manufactured… something. The ways they interacted with technology were truly fascinating.

Sera offered her own elated congratulations, too, of course, after which she asked, "So I guess it's my turn, then?"

"Looks like it," agreed Morgan. She decided she may as well stick around to watch, especially after realizing Sera's Mudkip was sweeping the lesser trainers (all of whom had retrieved fresh Pokemon, of course) just as easily as Cerberus had. However, while he took hits extremely well when a foe managed to land one, by the time Sera got to Roxanne he _was_ starting to look a little tired.

"Mudkip, Water Gun!"

The Geodude- or rather, Dudette, as opposed to the one Morgan had fought, Geode- managed to endure thanks to its special ability, and Roxanne commanded, "Dudette, Rock Tomb!"

Mudkip did his best to avoid the falling rocks, but speed was not his strong suit, and one landed on his tail, pinning him. As he struggled, nearing exhaustion, Sera shouted encouragingly- and he responded. Glowing brightly, he grew until the rock no longer seemed so heavy, his newly enlarged tail easily flipping it away. A glob of mud was then flung at high velocity at Dudette, leaving her down for the count.

Sera was absolutely beside herself. "Amazing job, Mu-" She caught herself and laughed as she corrected, "Marshtomp!"

Marshtomp smiled sheepishly at the praise, but was visibly winded by the final effort, too. As such, Sera recalled him and sent in Flash for the last fight of the gym. A risky move, wasn't it? If Morgan recalled correctly, Fire was particularly vulnerable to Rock, and Nosepass was one of those Pokemon that wouldn't fall to a single hit. What could she-

"Double Kick!" … Well then. Morgan _supposed_ a move employing two hits in rapid succession was _one_ way around the problem… The Nosepass never got a chance to counter. Thinking back to her own first battle against Sera, Morgan couldn't help but smile in commiseration. Still, she offered her congratulations once Roxanne was done, and the girls decided to head out together.

"So next is… some island, right?"

Sera nodded. "The ferry service can be a little spotty sometimes, so we'll have to check on that and might even need to schedule an appointment. But if we end up having to wait a few days it's just that much time we can spend training to make sure we're ready for the next Gym." That didn't sound too bad. Smiling, Sera added, "Oh hey, you know? This is probably a great time for our next-"

The girls were nearly knocked down as a man in blue pushed past, followed by a familiar voice screaming, "STOP, THIEF!" ...Shit, was that another Team Aqua goon?

"...Or not," mumbled Sera.

Sure enough, Scardee soon came into view, struggling to catch his breath. As he caught a glimpse of Morgan, he sputtered, "Oh thank the gods, it's _you._ That man, he- Parts. You have to get the parts."

Of course, Sera hadn't met Scardee to Morgan's knowledge, but Morgan wasn't surprised when she quickly agreed to help. Together, they took off in pursuit of the thief.

Upon rounding the corner, they could still see him in the distance, and followed with such fleeting glimpses until he disappeared into the hills and scattered woods of Route 116. "Shit," hissed Morgan.

"It's okay… If he's headed this way our best bet is to try Rusturf Tunnel."

Morgan nodded. "All right, then." As long as they could- annnnd there was a bird swooping down trying to peck at them. "Oh c'mon." Cerberus tried an Absorb to counter, but it wasn't much use on the Taillow. "We don't have _time_ for this…"

Sera opened her mouth to say something, then stopped and shifted before asking, "Wait, is this your first Pokemon out here?"

"..Shit, you're right."

Sera nodded. "In that case, you try to catch it and I'll go on ahead. If I get delayed by battle too, you can run ahead of me and we'll tag team it like that."

"Sounds better than nothing." As Sera and Flash ran off, Morgan recalled Cerberus and brought out Mithril.

They caught the Taillow quickly enough, and against her better judgment Morgan wonder traded it… for a Wurmple. Oh joy. ...Well, actually, they could do that uh- String Shot was the name, right? That might be useful right now. So this was surprisingly decent after all.

Sure enough, when Morgan caught sight of Sera ahead, she was fighting a Nincada, and signaled Morgan to go ahead. Twice more they traded off, and once Morgan had to tell a young trainer to shove it because recovering stolen property was more important. To her bitter amusement, the Nav had nothing to say about it this time. Seemed big brother really was watching closely…

At last, Morgan crested a hill to see a taller rockier one ahead bearing a large cavernous opening. Near the entrance, she saw a burly middle-aged man restraining a thinner elderly man who seemed hellbent on getting inside. As she approached, their shouts became more coherent. It seemed the old man- apparently named Briney- was trying to save someone named Peeko, while the younger one was concerned Briney would upset the wild Pokemon and make the- did he say cave-in? Apparently there'd been one and it was at risk of getting _worse_.

"Uhhh… 'scuse me?" Morgan called as she came upon them. "Did either of you see a guy in a blue pirate outfit run past here?"

"_See_ him!?" shouted Briney, rage renewed. "That cod-faced sorry blaggard _stole! My! Peekoooo!"_

Well. That was… oddly 'convenient', in a way. "Great." Morgan realized how that sounded even before both men gave her a bewildered look, and she quickly clarified, "Er, not great that he- That guy stole something else so it's great I didn't lose the trail." Hey how about instead of explaining she just- Morgan released Cerberus and Mithril, and both men's eyes were drawn to the shining silver specimen. "So uh.. How about I go in and try to get back both the stolen parts and your, uh, Peeko. And you watch the exit here in case he tries to get out." _And calm down_, she mentally added.

Fortunately, Briney began to do exactly that. "...All right. I'm trustin' ye, lassie." Morgan twitched a bit, but wasn't quite sure why.

"Just be incredibly careful and quiet. If you work up the wild Whismur- just, make sure you don't," the other man warned. Morgan nodded.

Inside, she found a much larger, more muscular man than had ambushed Scardee in the woods. He was currently trying and failing to scale a pile of rocks that nearly reached the ceiling, while a Poochyena- presumably his- kept a threatening gaze locked onto a Wingull- presumably not his- that cowered nearby.

"End of the line," Morgan called, raising her voice just enough to be heard.

The Aqua mook startled and spun around, but despite his aquatic theme, a fire burned in his eyes. "Not yet," he hissed. "Poochyena-"

"Fury Cutter, Take Down." Morgan preempted his orders with her own, making quick work of the mutt. Honestly, this was getting a little old. ...Oh, shit. She may have accidentally killed this one. That was unfortunate; it wasn't the Pokemon's fault its trainer was a dick. Ah well. Most of the wild deaths had been guilty of no more than being scared and defensive. No sense getting sappy now.

"You- you little-..." Both man and Wingull stared at Morgan in horror.

Her own gaze fell to the latter. "Are uh… Are you Peeko, by any chance? If so, Briney sent me. Sort of." Peeko perked right up, squawking in affirmation and rushing behind Morgan for safety.

"Oh- what's the point of a damned hostage.." the grunt grumbled. His mind raced for another way out before at last he grinned and whipped out some sort of amalgam of machine components. "How about _this_ then," he spat. "You want the parts so bad? Take another step and _no one_ gets them."

For the first time in quite a while, Morgan felt a flicker of fear. "...You wouldn't."

"Try me, girlie."

Morgan sneered. "... That doesn't help you, though. What would breaking them solve?"

The grunt barked a laugh. "We delay Devon a little longer, and my cohorts get another chance when they try to ship a replacement." … Oh. Okay that did seem like a decent plan then. Crap.

Taking a deep breath, she calmly implored, "All right, don't do anything rash. Maybe we can talk about-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a golden blur whooshed past so fast that Morgan felt a gust of wind. By the time her eyes caught up and settled, Flash stood holding the parts, and the grunt stood wondering what just happened.

"We'll just be taking those," came Sera's voice behind Morgan, and Flash was suddenly back there again too. If Morgan had to guess, she'd say that Speed Boost of his was running at full capacity right now.

The grunt growled loudly as he grabbed a handful of dirt and pebbles to fling at the girls and Pokemon, shouting "Screw this!" as he ran around them and made a break for the exit.

Flash quickly pursued- and ran right past him in his haste. Turning back with a clear 'whoops' expression, he then ended up tripping and barreling straight into a pair of wild Pokemon who were cowering against a far wall. "_Shit_ not the Whismur," Sera squeaked. "We've gotta calm them." As Flash frantically apologized and Sera ran to help him, the Whismur's wails were already building enough to make Morgan's ears hurt and some of the smaller rocks vibrate.

The grunt had stopped stunned for a moment in the commotion, but now continued his escape. While Morgan knew the exit _should_ be guarded, she didn't feel like taking any chances. So wha- AH!

As she tossed out a Pokeball, she called, "Wurmple, String Shot that guy!" The Wurmple hesitated just a moment, but quickly locked onto its unorthodox target, who soon found himself falling to the ground as his feet were bound together.

"Why you dirty cheating little-"

"Let's go ahead and fix that mouth, too," Morgan said with a smirk. Together, she and Cerberus helped pin and restrain the man while Wurmple wrapped him up neatly. To her pleasant surprise, once the task was complete, Wurmple used String Shot again- this time into the air as he began to glow. The threads wrapped him as he grew, and when the glow faded a- the Nav said Cascoon; Morgan was still having trouble telling those from Silcoon- sat before her. "Hey, not bad."

The Whismur seemed to be calming by this time as well. "Hey Morgan," Sera called, as loud as she dared while keeping her voice soft. "You know, there are two of these little guys, and they do seem to be the first wild Pokemon we've run into in the cave."

Morgan blinked. "Hm? Oh, good point. ...Though is battling them a good idea when…" She gestured around.

Sera shook her head. "No need. They don't really like living in the cave anymore either, as unstable as it's gotten- er, I'd assume…" Morgan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "I.. have a pretty strong feeling they'll come without a fight." To demonstrate, she knelt down and held out a Pokeball to one, who cautiously stepped forward to touch it. It barely wiggled before dinging.

"Well that's convenient." Morgan followed suit, then looked to Sera as she stood again. "...Do you think it would be, like, unkosher to Wonder Trade them?"

"Hm?" Sera thought a moment, but shrugged. "The impression I got was that anywhere is better than here, so probably not. Full disclosure, I'm probably not going to use _or_ trade mine since I had a pet Whismur when I was really little." She grinned. "I used to have tea parties with him and pretend he was the March Hare."

Morgan fought a smile. That was almost adorable... "I guess I can think of worse things than getting a few pure pets out of this whole ordeal." Meanwhile, she loaded up the Nav interface, selected the new Whismur- "Annnnd Zigzagoon." Sera tried and failed to stifle her laugh. "Seriously, I'm starting to doubt the validity of this whole system."

"That _is_ sort of the point of gambling," Sera teased. "You can't win every time."

Morgan sighed. "All right, that's fair. Anyway, I guess we should load up our-"

. . . . . "Did anyone see where the prisoner went."

How did they _do_ that. _How_ did two humans and five active Pokemon just _lose_ a _guy._ A guy who was wrapped up in- there wasn't even any indication that he'd managed to ditch the webbing. Morgan rubbed her temples. They still had both the parts and Peeko, so screw it. Morgan recalled all her Pokemon and headed out.

Briney seemed a little sore that they'd let the kidnapper escape, but as soon as he was reunited with his darling Wingull everything else took a back seat. So, leaving them to their reunion, Morgan and Sera made their way back toward Rustboro.

Along the way, they took turns battling any aggressive Pokemon, this time sticking together just in case any more Aqua goons showed up. Through these battles, Sera's Seedot evolved into a Nuzleaf, and Morgan's Cas- really? "Hot damn, those kids weren't kidding about bug Pokemon evolving quickly." Dustox was pretty cool-looking, too, really.

Sera smiled. "Not all of them, but as a general rule. Congratz~"

When they got back to Devon, they found Scardee sitting on a bench in front of the building, a puddle of frantic nerves. His relief upon seeing them returning with parts in hand was all but contagious. Scrambling, he pulled out a small device to call his superior and share the good news. "Yes. Yes sir. … Are you sure? Er, n-no sir! Right away, sir." As he hung up, he turned to the trainers. "It uh… seems President Stone would like to have a word with the two of you."

"I… Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question to you locals, but. Am I gathering correctly that this President Stone is head of Devon, the company that seems to run everything in this entire country? Like, one of the most powerful men _in_ said country?"

Sera turned to look at her, but Scardee answered first. "P-perhaps the most powerful, yes. Though there are certainly areas where the Pokemon League takes authority."

A slight chill ran down Morgan's spine. "I'm a little afraid to ask what we've gotten into…" She didn't technically ask, though, and no one answered either. Instead, Scardee just led them inside. This time, Morgan was sure to secure her Nav before stepping through the door.

As they rode the elevator to the top, Sera hesitantly asked, "Um… Mister Doctor, sir. If you don't mind my asking, what uh.. What was that device you used to call a minute ago? It doesn't look like any Nav I've ever seen."

Morgan blinked in disbelief. "Are you kidding?" Sera's sudden stung expression said no. "It… It was just a cell phone, wasn't it?"

Scardee nodded, though he too was looking at Morgan somewhat oddly. "That's right. We use them within the company."

Sera's confusion only grew. "I… They make things that are… _just_… phones? Why though? Isn't that such a downgrade from a full Nav?"

Morgan couldn't have held herself back if she'd tried. Not that she was trying. "It's for security purposes," she asserted, tone a little too sweet. "_Didn't you know~?"_ Sera's burning face and silence made all the early condescending remarks worthwhile.

When the door opened, Scardee insisted he'd wait there while they went on ahead. Morgan couldn't say she blamed him. The office itself was imposing and ostentatious.

A massive chair spun around slowly (...really? That cliché?) to reveal a man fitting his name. His features were weathered and angular, his gaze fierce, yet light in an unsettling way. … His _hair_, on the other hand, was… it was stone-like all right. Like a few stalagmites glued to his head. It was all Morgan could do not to laugh, even as fear flashed in Sera's eyes as she noticed.

If President Stone did as well, he did not react. "Good evening, girls. I understand I have the two of you to thank for stopping that thief from making off with some very precious cargo."

"About that," piped Morgan. "How does such a technological superpower with so many precautions taken get infiltrated by such an amateur criminal, anyway?"

Stone's smile did not diminish, yet all the levity left his face as he answered, "That isn't important, but you can rest assured it will _not_ happen again." Morgan couldn't seem to find her voice as she nodded. So Stone went on. "The reason I've called you here is that you both seem to have proven yourselves quite capable, and it seems your designated route lines up quite well to mutually beneficial ends. Which is to say, I'd like to ask you a favor- or rather, two favors."

Both girls nodded, and he went on. "First, there's the issue of those parts. Since certain members of my own staff have proven… _incompetent… _and the company has, shall we say, _limited access_ to our normal muscle at the moment for _confidential_ reasons, as I'm sure it goes without saying you are to repeat to no one… I believe it might be in everyone's best interest to have _you_ complete delivery of those parts to Slateport." He looked between them carefully for a few moments before deciding, "Miss Birch, I believe I'll assign that task to you."

Sera bowed graciously. "Yes sir. I'll do my absolute best, Mr. Stone." Morgan fought not to roll her eyes.

Stone's eyes fell on her next. "As for… Miss Fayel. _Is_ it 'Miss Fayel'?"

Morgan perked somewhat. "It's fay-ELL actually. Thank you for asking, I was starting to think no one in this region cared they were mispro-"

"Ah," he interrupted. "I was actually asking if you went by 'miss', but duly noted."

"...Oh." Why was _that_ the question? What, did he think she might be married? Ahahaha, no. "Yeah, I guess?" she shrugged.

"Mm." She couldn't quite read his reaction, but he'd soon shifted back into his normal demeanor anyway. "I'd like you to deliver something of a more personal nature. A letter, to a… _young man_ who should be on Dewford Island. Can I trust you to get it to him discreetly?"

Really? Sera was delivering super secret science stuff and Morgan was passing notes? Eh, whatever. She'd tell herself the letter was definitely just as confidential and important. That was definitely why it needed to be hand-delivered. There was zero chance the guy just didn't have or wasn't answering his Nav, or his phone, or whatever. Total optimism over here. "Yeah, that sounds doable." Sera's attempts at subtle-yet-urgent looks made Morgan suspect she was supposed to be more formal about this, but she couldn't really be bothered.

And it seemed to work fine, as one corner of Stone's mouth lifted a little higher. "Excellent. I'm counting on you both."


	9. Knuckle Down

A/N: I don't know how these keep turning out so long I swear I'm not trying... -small sobs-

* * *

After getting a few more details on each of their respective assignments- and receiving a Great Ball each as Super Official Thanks from the company- the rivals agreed to retire for the evening. It was only early afternoon, but they'd had a very stressful as well as very productive day, and this would give them and their teams time to recover while also arranging for their tasks.

Morgan was able to get in touch with Briney, who was more than happy to aid her for saving his darling Peeko. She apparently had to trek back through Petalburg Woods- something about the coastline farther north being rough on ships- but once she was there he was supposed to have the fastest non-commercial vessel this side of Mt. Pyre, wherever that was.

Sera, meanwhile, would be borrowing a company issued Pokemon to fly. Where Morgan's task apparently required maximum discretion (maybe it really _was_ important), Sera's required speed and as little room for interaction as possible. She'd be allowed to stop in Dewford long enough to face the gym, but then it was right on to Slateport. Given the extenuating circumstances altering their travel, though, Sera was to wait for Morgan to catch up before continuing, so Morgan was okay with this.

* * *

The following morning, Morgan headed down to the lobby to find Sera petting and doting on Spitfire. "How is she?"

Sera looked up, a touch of concern tinting her smile. "Honestly, a little less fiery than before… But I'm sure she's just a little shellshocked. You just need a bit to readjust again, don't you, girl?" she asked, scratching the Poochyena's ears. Spitfire, in turn, seemed to perk up a little, if only a little.

Morgan nodded in a way she hoped was encouraging. This did remind her, though, and while she felt it might be a bad time, she didn't want to forget again. "Hey, I was meaning to ask." Sera looked up quizzically. "We're supposed to send the bodies away when our Pokemon die, right? But what about wild Pokemon?"

Sera blinked. "...Wha'd'you mean?"

"Y-you know, how they disappear when we kill them. What's up with that?"

Sera sat in quiet confusion for a few moments. "...You know, I've never even thought about it." Really? "It's just always been that way. I guess I assumed it was something like… keeping corpses out of the main roads? I'm not really sure where they go though. Maybe to the off-limits areas where only wild Pokemon go, to be eaten in privacy? Or maybe they're harvested for some kind of resources or something. Who knows." Sera shrugged.

"Huh." Well, both of those things sounded reasonable enough, even if Morgan still found it odd that even Sera had nothing more than guesses.

Brighter, her rival changed the subject. "But hey yourself! Speaking of things we meant to ask: yesterday, before all the commotion, I was going to suggest we have our next rival battle. Any chance you wanna do that before we head out this morning?"

Morgan gave it little thought before shugging. "I suppose we should." So with that, they both took a few minutes to ensure their teams were in order, then met outside in the street.

Sera set her Nav to a countdown function to synchronize their first release. 3… 2… 1… "Go Mithril!" "Let's go Flash!" "Shit."

Morgan hoped Mithril had gotten strong enough, especially with her little Exp Share trick, to stand up to him now. She wasn't… _entirely_ wrong; Ember didn't instantly knock him out this time. She was definitely regretting Wonder Trading that Wingull as she recalled Mithril to send in her overpowered Croagunk. He came into an Ember as well, but the look of shock on both their opponents's faces when Croagunk just smiled told Morgan this was a good pick.

"Try a Peck," Sera commanded. That did quite a bit more damage, but Croagunk's Revenge did far more, knocking Flash out cold.

"Let's see how you do without your powerhouse," Morgan mumbled with a smile, more to herself than Sera.

Sera next chose her Taillow, Wings. Morgan recalled this type matchup was less than favorable, and opted to switch back to Mithril for now, content to watch Wings's… well, Wing Attack… bounce right off. Sera was going to have a hard time piercing these defe-

"Boomburst!" Murder in its eyes, the Taillow created a sonic force so strong that Mithril _didn't_ quite pass out- xe started _malfunctioning. _A hand to her mouth, Sera squeaked, "O-oh no, is… Is xe okay?"

Morgan cringed hard. Her Nav was being very unclear about that, giving her some rather jumbled readouts. "I.. guess we'll find out after. Come back for now, Mithril." Hopefully a little rest would help xir calm down.

Types be damned, this Taillow was obviously a force to be reckoned with. So out Croagunk came again, and to Morgan's relief, even the super-effective Wing Attack didn't do too terribly much damage. Croagunk's Feint Attack, however, sure did. Quick Attack took him a little off-guard, but another Feint Attack took out the feathered glass cannon.

Sera next brought out Marshtomp, so Morgan switched to Cerberus. Now _this_ was a starter-vs-starter battle she could get behind. Sera just kind of blushed and cringed awkwardly when Water Gun gave Cerberus a nice shower. "...On second thought." Yeah, not so fun on the receiving end, was it? Morgan was too amused to be annoyed as Sera switched to Zuma the Zigzagoon.

Cerberus Leered at the furry insult; he deserved a better foe. His Quick Attack did a good chunk of damage, but her Baby Doll Eyes apparently reduced Cerberus's physical strength a good deal for the moment, as indicated on Morgan's Nav. Certainly, that seemed like a form of magic to her, but no time to dwell on that now. If Sera was going to go for her physical attributes, Morgan had an answer, recalling Cerberus to send in Dustox. Another Baby Doll Eyes was employed, but Morgan just sniffed a laugh as she ordered Confusion, which did far more damage than Zuma's attempt at a Headbutt.

Sera bit her lip, and as Morgan ordered Confusion again, Sera managed to switch in Spitfire just in time to negate it. Morgan frowned; immunities were really something, weren't they. Admittedly, coming to see Zigzagoon and Poochyena as 'trash tier' Pokemon may have gotten Morgan a little spoiled, as she decided to try Dustox's luck with Gust and Tackle instead, but those Fire Fangs quickly finished him off.

Back to Croagunk, then. With Spitfire looking a little worse for wear, Sera switched to Pelt the Nuzleaf. Morgan couldn't imagine why. Even without taking any damage since her release, Croagunk's Revenge knocked Pelt out in a single blow.

Zuma came back next, so just for kicks Morgan switched back to Cerberus, who took one look at his opponent before turning to give Morgan a 'seriously?' look. This gave Zuma the chance to get in a Headbutt, but it was quickly negated by his Abs- oh. Oh wait this wasn't Absorb anymore, it was _Mega Drain. _Morgan hadn't even noticed when it got more powerful. Whatever its name now, though, it left Zuma unconscious and Cerberus in tip-top shape. Spitfire took Zuma's place, but Fury Cutter took her out before Fire Fang could be a concern.

Oh hey, so didn't that just leave… It did! Marshtomp was the last one left. Morgan found herself grinning. Wasn't he Ground-type now, too? She was _almost_ a little afraid to _use_ Mega Drain, but Cerberus sure wasn't. And with that delicious double weakness-

He was still standing!? Smiling through exhaustion, the best Marshtomp could manage was a light Tackle, but all the same… "...Gentle, Cer," Morgan warned, and he complied with a jab of a Quick Attack to finish the Marshtomp.

Both Navs beeped, Morgan's declaring her the winner. Letting out a heavy sigh, Sera piped up, "You've really gotten a lot better. Nice job!"

Morgan tried not to squint as she wondered whether that was actually supposed to sound condescending or if she was just reading into it. Well, either way, "Thanks. You too." It was no more than a pleasantry, but seemed proper to do for their viewers's sake if nothing else.

They headed back inside to get their Pokemon healed back up before leaving. Aside from Mithril, any injuries were pretty light and easily mended, their energy levels quickly restored. Unfortunately, Beldum being such a rare Pokemon meant there was only one doctor on staff who had treated others in the past, and he hadn't seen anything quite like this. Another doctor said she'd treated some _other_ mechanical-like species and suspected xe'd be fine with enough rest and time to naturally recover, though they advised Morgan not to use Mithril again until she got to Dewford, just in case she needed to rush to their Center.

Sera came by with her starters by her side to apologize again, but Morgan brushed it off. "Xe's still alive, and that's what's important. Besides, it might not've even been your fault, to be honest. Mithril's always been a little… well, even the doctors pointed out xe acts as much like a machine as a creature. Xe might've been on the verge of glitching out either way for all we know."

"I guess so…" Sera agreed. "Still, I hope xe'll be all right."

Morgan nodded. "I'm sure xe will be. ...But hey, that Taillow's something else. I've battled quite a few over the last few days, but he was on a whole different level."

"Right?" Sera shifted to excitement. "I was so lucky to find him. -for the most part, anyway, heh… Oh, but Cerberus is really turning into a formidable force! I'm impressed!"

Morgan smirked. "Damn right. He may not be as fast as Flash, but at this rate even with their typings Cer's gonna be able to give him a run for his money."

Flash was indignant- nay, _appalled_\- by that claim, and ruffled his feathers as he gave them a look of disgust. Even Sera had to laugh at that, which only upset the bird more. Meanwhile, Cerberus stood nearby, and raised his head higher to literally look down on Flash. Morgan was starting to get the feeling she and Sera weren't the only rivals here.

Meanwhile, Marshtomp just smiled up sweetly at both, not seeming to get the tension. Which reminded Morgan, "Hot damn, Marshtomp really can take a hit, though."

"Ohmy_gods,_" Sera exhaled all at once, a hand flying over her heart. "That was _so _scary, I couldn't _believe_ he took a Mega Drain! Between that and Roxanne's gym, he really is turning into a hell of a tank, isn't he?"

Marshtomp's eyes grew a little wider, his demeanor a little brighter, and he turned to tug at Sera's cape. "Tomp?"

"Hm?" Sera listened, then grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I do. Sorry about that. I've just said Mudkip for so long, you know?" Marshtomp went on. "Oh? … Oh, that's a good point. Yeah I guess we could." His tone on the next bit felt like a suggestion even to Morgan, which made her a little curious when Sera replied, "Oh! Yeah, I like that a lot! Are you sure you do?" Marshtomp happily nodded, and Sera turned to Morgan. "I guess we stumbled across a good name for him after all. From now on, just call him Tank."

Morgan smiled a bit. "Sounds fitting to me. Nice to re-meet you, Tank."

* * *

Shortly after, they wrapped everything up and both headed outside, saying their last goodbyes at the door. Sera had recalled all her other Pokemon, and now released holy shit that was a _dragon. _Morgan had heard tales of larger back in Snaska, but up close this one was still imposing. Its shoulders were roughly even with the trainers's, except it had a long neck and huge wingspan still towering above that and a long bulky body back behind. Sera climbed on its back to secure herself in a rather flimsy excuse for a harness, and Morgan found herself all the more grateful she'd been picked for the boat task. "Uh… You sure that thing's safe?"

Sera laughed nervously. "It's… admittedly a little scary being up here myself, but most Salamence trainers use them to fly all the time, and this one's extra trained specifically for transport. So it's… _probably_ fine," she assured… probably herself more than Morgan, honestly.

For a moment Morgan was amazed that Devon trusted a 17-yr-old kid with such an impressive Pokemon, but then realized it was probably also trained to travel a designated route and not respond to combat orders, so stealing or abusing it would probably be more than a little difficult. "Well, good luck, then."

"See you in Slateport!" Sera called, then tried to stifle her scream as the Salamence took off.

Morgan and Cerberus headed out on foot. With her team so much stronger now and most of the trainers she met along the way ignoring her this time, the trip was much quicker.

Morgan found time to stop by the nursery- winding up disappointed they didn't cultivate anything that could be used for tea there, but taking a brochure on the many uses of different berries- and still managed to make it through Petalburg Woods by nightfall. Her only concern that it might be a little late to disturb Mr. Briney, she camped on the far edge of the woods, on a hill overlooking the beach.

And she was glad she did, as the following morning while packing up, something glittering in the dawn light caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she was almost certain it was a Revive, and upon using the Nav to confirm as much, she quietly stowed away the new treasure for use on a rainy day.

* * *

Atop her swift Salamence steed, Sera had meanwhile arrived in Dewford late the night before. As soon as the gym opened, she made her way there… and swept every single trainer without ever switching from Wings. Badge obtained!

...And it was still so early. This was the farthest Sera had been from home in a while, and there was basically nothing _in_ Dewford, so what were the odds she'd come back here any time soon? Surely it wouldn't hurt to take just a little bit to look around…

Salamence released himself from his ball. _You're not thinking of procrastinating, are you…._

"...Nnnot… _procrastinating_ per se," Sera answered with a forced smile. Salamence leered. Sera's defense fe- wait nevermind. "I just uh- Well the point of stopping by the gym was to interrupt my journey as little as possible, right? Soooo, I just thought, _normally_ I'd be able to capture a Pokemon or two here, right? It wouldn't take that long, and if we _really_ want to minimize interference…"

Salamence sighed heavily. _You have one hour, and I'm going to be watching._ Sera waved and called her thanks after him as he took a perch on a cliff at the edge of town.

She found a small shop that sold fishing rods, and picked one up. With it, she fished up a Magikarp… who Death on Wings promptly killed. Well, damn. A nearby fisherman did appreciate the corpse, though, swearing that as little usable meat as there was on a Magikarp, that little bit was delicious. Sera wasn't too keen on eating something she could talk to, but with it already dead she figured that was better than going to waste.

As she headed north to see if she could grab something from the local cave, she stumbled across some sort of gathering. They looked pretty engaged in whatever they were doing, so Sera was just going to go around, but one of the participants turned and made eye contact. "Hey, newbie!" Sera pointed to herself questioningly, and the man nodded. "Are you here to join the Potion Festival?"

"Hm? Uh… No, not really."

"What? But… Potion Festivals! They're like, the coolest of the cool! What could possibly be cooler than a Potion Festival?"

Sera didn't have the heart to tell them that the Potion Festival craze ended like eight months ago, so instead she just offered, "I dunno… Pretty Wing Dances?" When his eyes grew wide and he grew quiet, Sera took her opportunity to make a break for it.

She knew she wouldn't have time to explore the cave in full, so instead she had to settle for calling "C'mout, c'mout, wherever you are!" some twenty yards from the entrance and hoping something would come to her.

At last, a Makuhita did. With those narrow eyes and that way-too-broad smile, Sera had to admit the little girl was a little unnerving… but at the same time, there was something oddly very cute about her. When diplomacy failed, Tank managed to wear her down, and Sera was able to capture a new Pokemon here after all, making the detour entirely "worth it" (aka loosely justifiable). She couldn't seem to place a good name just yet, so she left the field blank as she allowed the Makuhita to transfer to her PC.

With her business taken care of, Sera made her way back into town, Salamence swooping down to meet her. Once again, she climbed aboard, and off they headed toward Slateport.

* * *

It was some two days later when Morgan finally arrived in Dewford herself.

Mr. Briney had been surprisingly pleasant company up to this point, and assured her he'd be ready to set sail as soon or late as she wanted. She'd have worried about interrupting his business by taking too long, but Briney had made it clear this was a matter of pride to him. When she'd shown up at his cottage mentioning Devon business, his words had been along the lines of "Screw that lily-livered" something something, "I'm doing this because ye saved me darling Peeko." It really did warm Morgan's heart to see how much he cared for the little Pokemon. Would she and Cerberus have a bond like that someday? Or maybe even she and a Pokemon she'd yet to meet? Morgan could hope.

As she stepped off the boat, a heavyset gentleman approached. "Howdy there! Are you Morgan?" A fan, perhaps?

"I am…?"

The man reached to grab a nearby fishing rod and extended it to her. "In that case, this is for you! Compliments of Ms. Birch." As Morgan looked over the odd gift a little bewildered, the man explained, "Oh, don't worry, it's collapsible," and showed her how to stow it compactly.

...Huh. "Well uh.. Thanks then." She stowed that away for now and asked, "By the way, have you seen anyone named Steven around here?" He hadn't, so Morgan thanked him again anyway and moved on.

As she asked around town, she found no leads, but did see someone fishing up Pokemon, which made her realize: oh wait, this meant the town was probably its own Area to catch Pokemon in, wasn't it? Sweet. So after a little trial and error, she managed to fish up a Magikarp, then traded it for a Whismur. ...Well, it wasn't a Zigzagoon, so that was something.

On the beach north of town, her Nav notified her that she was technically on part of Route 106, so she spent some more time fishing and managed to capture a Tentacool, promptly named Manowar. A few trainers challenged her to battle, but none had heard of Steven. President Stone did mention that Steven was fond of rocks and may be in Dewford to study something about them, so the nearby cave seemed the next best bet.

Once inside, she had hardly taken ten steps when suddenly a golden fox-faced creature literally appeared in front of her. ...Oh shit. Could it teleport? If it did that again, she suspected her Nav would count the area as missed for capture. Rather than risk startling it with an attack, she fished out that Great Ball and hoped for the best. To her great relief, the Abra- or Kitsun as she then named him- was captured.

That proved to be the most productive thing that came out of this venture into the cave, however, for she soon found a team of archaeologists (probably?) congregated a little farther in, and it did not seem wise to intrude on their work. She did catch one to ask if an of them were named Steven, but none were, so she quickly made her exit. A local hiker informed her there were upper levels to the cave as well, but she lacked any gear to climb to those and he had none to spare, so back to town it was.

As the day drew on with no luck, Morgan decided to hit the gym. If nothing else, she could go ahead and get her badge, but she hoped the Gym Leader might have heard of the man she sought. After a little adjusting of her team, that was.

Cerberus, Mithril, Dustox, Kitsun, Croagunk, and… Eh. One of these Zigzagoon had proven pretty decent at clearing obstacles back in Petalburg Woods when she'd come back through, so she supposed she could stay on the team. Notably, she and her Pokemon had ended up watching more tv to kill time on the boat. As such, she had taken to calling Dustox "Zack" after a character he seemed to focus a lot on in one show; and Croagunk "Robit", as he seemed very fond of shows with giant robots, and as a play on 'ribbit'.

Oh hey, before she left the Pokemon Center she supposed it was about time to check on Mithril. Hesitantly, she brought out xir PokeBall and released the Beldum. For just a few moments, Mithril beeped and twitched erratically as xe had before, but just as Morgan began to reach for xir Pokeball, xe began to slow down, growing calmer until xe finally settled into something resembling normalcy.

"Hey pal. Are uh… Are you okay?"

Mithril gave a rather positive-sounding series of beeps, and Morgan was fairly sure the spot that served as xir probably-eye shifted a little. She'd never seen it do that. Nor had she heard Mithril sound so ah… energetic? Enthusiastic? Maybe it was just her imagination after being worried for a few days, or maybe Mithril had just been standoff-ish until xe got more comfortable around Morgan? She supposed there was probably no need to worry as long as xe seemed fine now. So off to the Gym they went!

And with the first victory, Mithril evolved! The first thing the new Metang did was turn to give Morgan what she had to imagine was the closest approximation xe could make to a thumbs up with xir newly formed limbs. But really, _wow_, what a massive change! Perhaps _this_ was why Mithril was acting differently?

Mithril and Zack swept through the remaining trainers with ease, though occasionally Morgan let Kitsun out to taunt their Pokemon first, even though all he could do was teleport out of the path of their attacks. She just thought it best to look like he'd seen _some_ battle so it would be less suspicious when, due as much to the Exp Share as his actual practice, Kitsun evolved.

The Kadabra proved much more offensive than he'd been before, and he was able to take Brawly out all on his own.

In the wake of that fight, Morgan watched as the laid back 'surfer bro' sort of man she'd met at the beginning of the battle sat stunned and bewildered. "What..._are_ you?" he breathed.

Morgan shrugged as she recalled Kitsun and more took than accepted her badge. "Just a trainer trying to earn her freedom."

As he partially collected himself and handed over another TM to install in her Nav, he elaborated, "I've seen a lot of trainers. Some even one-shot my Pokemon. But this was… It feels different. Your Pokemon respond to you differently, like you…" He pursed his lips, either not knowing how or not wanting to put it into words. Finally, he said, "You're like some sort of training wizard."

His tone made her feel that wasn't a compliment, but Morgan just shrugged. "Well, you're not really wrong." His questioning look just made her chuckle. "Nevermind, long story. Oh, almost forgot though. Have you seen anyone named Steven around the island lately?"

"...Steven what?" Brawly asked.

Morgan sighed. "I wish I knew. I was just told Steven. It sounded like he was here visiting, though, not a resident."

Brawly shook his head. "Sorry. Can't say I have."

Great. Just great. Morgan was given the simplest errand under the sun and she was going to fail it. Spectacular. As she left the gym, she caught sight of a group nearby doing elaborate dances with large fake wings. She might have been interested if they didn't look so gaudy and out of place, and if there weren't even gaudier posters surrounding the event. She decided not to ask and gave them a wide berth as she decided to take another stroll through town.

Taking the path she did, she was fortunate enough to see the archaeologists from before leaving the cave. "I can see why the ruins have been so popular lately," Morgan could hear one saying. "It's hard to believe such intricate paintings were preserved right under our noses for so long."

"What's hard to believe is that those Team Whatever goons didn't wreck the place when they came through last week." Team what now? If that was Team Aqua, Morgan might want to go take a look. For now, she tried to tail the group as inconspicuously as she could to eavesdrop a little longer.

"Well I don't blame them," said a third person. "They seemed like a rowdy bunch of kids, but mostly just that: _kids._" Morgan would have classified the ones she met as adults, but probably around her age, and she supposed these folks would count her as a kid, too. By comparison, she was. "They may be mixed up in some questionable business right now, but I'm sure most of them are good folks. It's no surprise they'd appreciate history, or know where to draw the-"

With a heavy sigh, one interrupted, "Harold, we all know you wanna believe in your son, but-" Orrr maybe the old man was just wishful thinking, and Aqua really was just bad news..

"I dunno," interrupted the other. "News travels so slow this far out, but all kinds of people are coming out of- or I suppose _into-_ the woodwork to see the murals lately. I mean, if the heir to the Devon Corporation could make it-"

Morgan and Harold were both taken aback by that, the latter jumping in with "Are you serious?! When?"

"As we were leaving! Just now! That's why I was trying to stall a little longer."

"I didn't realize that was the Stone kid! I thought-"

Morgan didn't stick around to hear more. This _had_ to be Steven. It only made sense. She couldn't imagine why President Stone wouldn't just _tell her_ the letter was for his son, but who else would be so important to request such a favor? If there was some internal family affairs they didn't want being made public, all the discretion made sense. Come to think… Maybe "Steven" was a pseudonym? That must have been why she was supposed to enter a blackout code on her nav once she found him, but could go around asking for "Steven" on camera no problem. A simple given name wouldn't be so obvious as a full name.

Geez, you think they could have come up with something a little more identifying, though.

The sun was going down by the time Morgan made it back to the cave's entrance, but fortunately Zack was able to be taught the move Flash, which allowed him to glow like a lantern. Morgan found herself grinning and mumbling something about "moth to a flame", but the joke was lost on the Dustox. In case the light attracted unwanted attention, and because he was out more often than not anyway, Cerberus accompanied her as well.

As she headed deeper down, she began to see some of the paintings, and had to admit they did seem to be in good condition, but they did not prepare her for the grandeur that lay ahead. Where the smaller paintings seemed to tell small stories, fairly vague in Morgan's opinion; the main mural- lit not only by Zack's light but by several lanterns that had been left burning in the chamber- stretched easily 50 feet or more high and sprawled even wider than that, and it very, _very_ clearly displayed several titanous beasts locked in some sort of battle, the earth and skies both torn open around them. It made Morgan feel… smaller.

She was so busy being awestruck by the scene that she didn't realize she was not alone until she heard a voice. "So their primal forms held this much power…" Morgan jumped at the sound even though it was clear the owner wasn't talking to her, merely musing.

Her eyes finally settled on a stunning individual with bright silver hair. She'd assumed the President's was gray from age, but could it have been that way all along? She opened her mouth, then remembered just in time and first grabbed her Nav to enter the one-time code. Once she was sure it was no longer broadcasting, she spoke up: "Excuse me."

As the person turned toward her, Morgan's eyes took in a better look: a steely expression on soft features, eyes barely bluer than that silver hair, a lean build, and… Hm? While she realized she shouldn't stare, Morgan found herself unable to determine whether that bold cravat was creating a slight illusion, or if their physique was actually that feminine. "Yes? Can I help you?" A fairly androgynous voice did not help her confusion.

Though she now felt nervous asking, Morgan awkwardly went on, "Are… ah… Are you… Steven? By any chance?" Eyebrows raised a bit above curious silver eyes, and she dared to add for her own curiosity, "Steven Stone…?"

"I am? To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking…"

Oh, good. "Uh, Morgan Fayel. I'm a Game trainer sponsored by Petalburg's Norman, and I was asked to bring you this letter from President Stone." She brought out the envelope in question.

"Interesting," he mused. As he took it and read the front, he murmured, "Well I'll be damned." Morgan couldn't imagine why; maybe confirmed it to be his handwriting? All it said though was "Steven".

He opened and read it over in silence, expression staying mostly even throughout with a few brief flashes of disgust. Finally, he sighed. "Too little too late. I'd give it a generous B- for effort." He began to crumple the letter, but then changed his mind and folded and pocketed it instead. "You can tell the old man you've delivered the letter, but I'm not interested. He had his chance."

"... Um." How to put this… "Are you… _sure_ it's safe to just…"

"Hm?" Steven cracked a smile now as he barked a small laugh. "Oh, don't worry. As long as he knows it's from me, you should be fine." Averting his gaze a bit, he mumbled, "I guess we're both lucky he got that much right, at least."

"Oh… All right then." So that was it, she guessed. Her big mission completed. She got the distinct feeling Steven and his father did not get along, and she didn't really feel like pushing any farther there. Just walking away felt awkward, too, though, so she just… "Soo… I hear you like rocks?"

Steven laughed more brightly at that. "If by that you mean am I both a highly respected geologist and one of the world's foremost experts on Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon, then yes, I do very much 'like rocks'." Fortunately, he seemed sincerely amused by the understatement. "To be honest, I was out here researching some of the most interesting stones of all- which is to say, _Mega Stones._ Though it seems what's depicted here is similar, but very different, so instead of answers, all I've managed to find are more questions.."

"I see…" Sort of. ...Although… "Mega Stones, huh? Is that their super scientific name?"

"Hm? Well, yes, actually, given their relationship to the equally-creatively-named Mega Evolution. Though I suppose I could get into all the specific reasons we've been unable to scientifically classify them as anything else, if you find the simple version disappointing."

Morgan couldn't help but match his smirk. "If I had more time, I just might take you up on that, actually."

"Oh really now?" He crossed his arms and raised one hand to his jawline, studying her. "You really would, wouldn't you? Can't say I come across guys like you too often, Morgan." Morgan offered a quizzical expression in response, which caused Steven to briefly return it before shifting to negative realization. "W-wait. You said you're the same Morgan that-" His hand moved in front of his mouth for a moment before he stammered, "Ah, I- Forgive me for asking, but ah… What is your… gender?"

Morgan didn't expect to be so taken aback by the question. "I… dunno? I guess I'm a girl." That was the answer she usually gave, anyway, though usually there were only two options given. Being open-ended felt… different.

Steven's expression voiced his 'you guess?' without him having to say it, but he shook his head and did not press it. "Ah, my deepest apologies then." Debating briefly, he added, "Must be the lighting in here, hm?" but Morgan could tell the joke was forced.

In her own attempt to play it off, she told him, "Don't worry about it. Most of these clothes _are_ from the boys's section, and to be honest, I thought you were pretty enough to be a girl when I first saw you. So I guess that makes us even, eh?"

She had no idea what that expression was, but it was not what she was expecting. After a few seconds, Steven just shook his head again and chuckled softly. "I think we could both use a subject change. You're the trainer Norman bought the Shiny Beldum for, right?"

Always with the Shinies. "Yeah. I take it you've been watching my run some then?"

To her surprise, he answered, "No, the Games are more my dad's thing. They're a bit barbaric for my taste."

"... Oh."

Smiling, he added, "Although… Every now and then a particularly special trainer does catch my interest." He gave her a wink, and Morgan felt her face heat ever so slightly. She swore she wasn't even interested, he was just… _really_ good-looking, wasn't he… Damn. "But I ask because I was the breeder he bought them from."

"Oh, shit." Norman wasn't kidding about excellent breeding, was he? "I've uh… Xe actually evolved just earlier today if you wanna-..."

Steven's eyes lit. "I'd love to!" As Morgan released Mithril, Steven chimed, "Why hello there little-" before his face fell. Mithril beeped happily in response, but Steven just stared.

"I- Is everything all right? Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't… What… happened?"

Morgan flinched. "..wwwha'd'you mean?"

"They- xe…? Just seems very... different…"

A wave of relief washed over her. "Oh, that. Mithril was pretty quiet at first, but it seems like xe's really starting to open up now. We did make it through a pretty close call together the other day, so I think maybe xe's just started to trust me and the other Pokemon more." Morgan was smiling, but Steven was not, which caused her to follow suit. "Do… you think it's something else?"

He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the Metang, until finally he forcefully pulled his attention back to reality and shook his head. "N-no, no. It's-... probably fine." Looking to his wrist, he remarked, "Ah, but look at the time. I should probably continue my investigation tomorrow, and you probably want to get some rest so you can get back to your journey in the morning."

Well he wasn't wrong, even if that did feel sudden and forced. "Er… Yeah, I guess." She recalled Mithril anyway. "Nice meeting you?"

He gave her a nod. "And you."

"Are uh… You staying at the Pokemon Center, per chance?" Maybe he'd want to walk back together?

But Steven shook his head. "Camping, I'm afraid. But don't worry. I get the feeling our paths will cross again."

Morgan smiled. "I hope so. See you then, Steven."

"See you then."


	10. Know Thy Enemy

Sera was able to deliver the parts with little problem. The captain wasn't in at the time, but fortunately it wasn't as though she needed to deliver them to him personally for any reason, and she was able to leave them within the secure confines of the shipyard rather than parading around town with them. She sure was glad everyone had been reasonable and didn't make the delivery harder than it had to be.

Once they were secure, she reported her success to President Stone and sent the Salamence back to Devon through her Nav.

Of course, that gave her a few days to kill, during which time she should probably keep training to a reasonable level to be fair to Morgan. Sera knew Morgan would be doing _some_ herself, and wouldn't avoid training outright, but since her rival had more travel time being stuck on a boat, Sera would try to tone it down… which suited her just fine, honestly.

Slateport was so bustling and vibrant. Petalburg sort of tried to be a city, but it was still pretty rustic in a lot of places, slummy in others, and kind of mediocre even in some of its nicer places. Rustboro was huge and busy, and there was a lot too do, but it was also crowded and heavily polluted. Sera didn't tend to mind _too_ much while she was there, but the bright clean atmosphere of Slateport with it's sprawling layout and more relaxed energy was really noticeable by comparison. Sera just might have to consider moving here after her journey was done.

As she strolled aimlessly through town trying to decide what attraction to devote her time to first, a large cluster of bright red caught her eye. Lined up outside the Oceanic Museum was a large group of people in identical outfits, red and black… with horns? She gasped. Zinnia!

Sera's heart jumped a little higher in her chest before she managed to talk it down. She'd taken a pretty quick flight out here, after all, and it had still taken a few days. Unless Zinnia had similar transportation, she probably wouldn't be way out here so quickly. ...Then again, nothing was to say she _didn't_, and Sera _had_ taken a pretty indirect route, so it didn't hurt to check, right?

If nothing else, maybe she could learn a little more about this… Team Magma, was it? Heh. What an unfortunate name, though. It almost made them sound like those Team Aqua thugs.

She took a place in the back of the line, but after a few minutes of not moving, she asked herself aloud, "How busy _is_ this place?"

A man in front of her turned to answer. "Oh it's not busy, it just doesn't open for a few more minutes." He looked her over carefully then and squinted. "Look, kid, not for nothin' here, but you know the boss is really strict about uniforms. You should really change before he sees you."

Sera blinked, shocked, before looking down at her red and black outfit and up at his. "_Oh_, uh, it's not- I'm not a-"

"Ahh," he interrupted. "New recruit, eh? He'll probably let it slide, then. Just be sure you get your measurements submitted to the Team's tailor as soon as possible if you haven't already done so."

. . . "Rrrright," Sera agreed. "I'll definitely do that." She preferred not to think of it as 'lying' so much as 'seizing an opportunity.' "So what else should I expect as a proud… cadet?"

He laughed. "Try a grunt. Militant as Magma is, there's not much room for ranks. Leader Maxie expects everyone to be giving it his or her all at all times, with no expectation of reward or promotion, and authority is assigned on an as-needed basis. Though you might get some nicer Pokemon if you do really well. What've you got now, a Poochyena?"

"... Yup," she answered, bringing out Spitfire.

He frowned. "Why is she shaking like that?"

Sera cringed a little. "She uh… hasn't been sleeping much lately, and it's got her a little jumpy," she admitted. "There was a little… accident caused by her falling asleep in combat the other day, so she's been sort of afraid of being unconscious since then." That might have been an understatement. In one battle, she woke up only a few seconds after falling to a Sing, and proceeded to actively block her ears to avoid hearing subsequent attempts. Sera always sort of assumed being in a Pokeball was similar to sleeping, but with the clear signs of deprivation Spitfire was showing, it seemed maybe they had enough freedom within their stasis to be 'asleep' or 'awake'?

"Magma Pokemon are supposed to be tougher than that," the grunt mumbled. "You might be able to put in for a new one if you can prove it wasn't your fault."

"What? N-no, I promise you Spitfire is plenty tough. She just.. needs a few more days to recover is all. You've been spooked before, right?"

He looked her and the Poochyena over again, then rolled his eyes. "If you say so, kid. Though for the record, Magma members don't tend to give our Pokemon cutesie nicknames."

"Oh. Uh… Force of habit?" Sera blushed, then recalled Spitfire.

"Yeah, well. Start breaking it." Sera nodded firmly, then realized to her relief that the line was starting to move. The grunt noticed as well, and it seemed to lift his mood. "Hey, look at that." Turning back to her, her offered, "Tell you what, kid. Why don't you stick with me."

Sera smiled and nodded again.

Once inside, everyone spread out to have a look around. There had been a few people in line in front of the Magma group, but it seemed they made up the majority of the patrons at the moment. She refrained from asking around, lest she look desperate, but she did try to keep an eye out for Zinnia.

Her new grunt friend decided to play tour guide and show her some of the more notable attractions, though she couldn't imagine why the team was interested in most of them. 'Magma' didn't sound very seafaring to her. But then he paused to stare at a map, and Sera found herself taken aback by the amount of emotion in his gaze. "Is everything okay?"

"Did you know that over 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water?"

Sera blinked. "I don't know if I could have given you that number off the top of my head, but that sounds right. Why?"

"Because it's abhorrent," answered a voice behind them.

Both spun to see, and the grunt quickly gave an odd… salute? "Sir!" It seemed this was one of the few ranking members, then, which would explain the more elaborate outfit.

When a few seconds passed in silence after, Sera realized both sets of eyes were on her, and she mimicked the gesture- causing the grunt to cringe. He huffed a quick sigh through his nose and muttered without fully looking at her, "C'mon, kid, it's goes the other direction for women. They _had_ to have covered this in orientation..."

".._Oh._ S-sorry, I guess I'm- just nervous," Sera bluffed, keeping her voice smaller than usual to sell the part.

She corrected her salute, then turned her attention back to the newcomer as the grunt implored, "Forgive her, Leader Maxie. She's brand new. Doesn't even have a uniform yet."

Maxie looked Sera up and down, somehow managing to appear both scrutinizing and indifferent. "I see," he said at last, but something in his tone made Sera fear he wasn't quite buying her act. All the same, he went on, "It would appear that either you missed quite a number of things or I need to have a talk with whoever recruited you. At ease," he dismissed them before continuing. "So in light of the circumstances, allow me to personally refresh your memory."

"..Y-yes, sir." She _had_ hoped to find out more about the team, and now listened intently as Maxie spoke. He spoke of the importance of dry land as humanity's stage, of the misfortune that was having little more than a quarter of the planet's surface fully usable.

"And as humanity continues to rise to greater heights, more and more of our vastly limited resources are needed to sustain us. Can we truly, in good conscious, resign ourselves to such a fate? To choosing between overcrowding and overconsumption, or forcefully reigning in our true potential, refusing to allow ourselves to live to the fullest in favor of prolonging our basic survival?" He gave a very small scoff. "_That_ is why we of Team Magma aim to change the world- to quite literally reshape it in our own image. If we can succeed in our quest to expand the land, we needn't make such choices. Civilization can be built on fresh, bare lands rather than in the ruins of our fields and forests, and new life of all kinds can take root and grow."

Could such a thing really be possible? It sounded like a fevered dream, but… Well, Sera always _was_ fond of fairy tales… And she could hardly deny that he painted quite the compelling picture, if there really could be a way to do something so… _outlandish_, heh.

"Do you understand, now, child?" Maxie asked.

Sera nodded. "I think I do, sir."

Maxie offered a small nod of his own in approval. "Good. In that case, I shall be returning to my rounds. Do ensure you're both on guard and ready when the Captain shows up. I suspect he will not find our aim so agreeable."

"Sir," agreed the grunt.

He saluted, and this time Sera quickly joined him, correct direction and all. ..._Oh_, together it made an 'M', for Magma. Ha. She wasn't sure if that seemed more clever or silly but she approved. Of course, she wasn't sure if the same could be said for Maxie's tone when he spoke of the Captain. Not that she could very well ask without arousing suspicion.

Over the next 20 minutes, she and her new friend whose name she still hadn't caught continued to take in the various exhibits, discussing the pros and cons of the ocean along the way. For a minute she thought it odd that so many of the grunts present seemed so sincerely interested, but it wasn't as though Magma hated the ocean or wanted to get rid of it altogether, right? They just wanted to make it smaller.

Not long after they made their way upstairs, an elderly man whom Sera very vaguely recognized from occasional news appearances came out of an employee-only area. Within moments of him doing so, two nearby grunts approached to corner him. Sera was a little too far to clearly catch everything they were saying, but what she caught sounded like they were trying to kidnap him?

Panicking, but praying she was wrong, she broke away from her companion to get closer, and very clearly heard, "This doesn't have to be difficult, old man. If you'll just retrieve us the necessary plans and parts, we won't need you at all.'

Gods dammit. "_Hey!_" Sera barked now, getting their attention. "Back away from the captain."

"What's with the newbie?" one of the grunts grumbled. Sera huffed a sigh and gave up any hope of pretense, instead releasing Flash. As he materialized, feathers magnifying the light created by his own ball upon release, their eyes grew wide. "Wait, _shit_, I know you."

"That's right," she said flatly. "My name is Sera Birch, and I highly suggest you back away from the captain."

They decided to take the hard way, because of course they did. As expected, both had Poochyena; Flash's Double Kick made short work of them. Zuma was brought out to help with their Zubat… and evolved for the effort!

Their Pokemon defeated, and only one of the exhibits more than slightly damaged as a result, Sera stood with her hands on her hips, a Combusken on one side and a brand new Linoone on the other. "Anyone else want to try their luck?"

Across the room, the grunt she'd befriended stared at her somewhere between horror and disgust. "I _trusted you,_" he hissed. Sera wished that bothered her as little as her expression must have made it look.

"So it seems my suspicions were correct." That was Maxie's voice, and Sera jumped slightly to hear it. "Although I hadn't suspected you'd be quite this strong- nor this _brazen_." The way he nearly spat the word suggested it to be, in this context, a synonym for stupid.

Sera's stomach turned, but she held her ground as she declared, "Look. You may have a lot of good points, but if theft and kidnapping is your idea of how to achieve a better world, then I'm gonna have to insist you rethink your plan."

For a moment, Maxie's already narrow gaze intensified, and Sera's blood raced, but she steeled herself. To her surprise, when his expression relaxed, there was the smallest hint of a wry smile. "Very well, child. Perhaps you are too young and naive to truly understand, after all. But I like the _fire_ in your eyes." Sera swallowed nervously, though these nerves seemed to come from a different place than before. "Just this once, I, the Great Maxie, shall humor your request. For your sake, I pray that should we meet again, you will be more open to reason, for I do not intend to be so forgiving in the future."

Despite herself, Sera found herself murmuring, "Y-yes sir…"

This only accentuated Maxie's smirk. Turning to his nearby men, he said simply, "Come. We're finished here."

What loosely passed for museum security showed up just in time to watch the team leave. Captain Stern thanked Sera profusely, and assured her security would be significantly beefed up for quite some time in the wake of this scare. Sera considered tailing Team Magma, but supposed they hadn't actually done anything to warrant pursuit, only come close to it. Besides, she suspected Maxie was far more experienced as a trainer than most of his team, in addition to the whole strength in numbers aspect.

That night, she received a call from a low-ranking League official. Sera thought it at first an unnecessary formality, as the woman thanked her again for saving Stern. But she went on to clarify that Team Magma was apparently just as much a criminal organization as Team Aqua. Spectacular. Moreover, the woman said she was to extend the League's thanks and approval for her marvelous acting in infiltrating their ranks, getting their leader himself to divulge information within her Nav's recording range, even if most of it was mere confirmation for things already long-suspected. In fact, given Maxie's hope to see her turn, the League was officially suggesting she consider exploiting that at her discretion should she come across them again. If they believed she sympathized with their cause, they just might share even more.

Sera pasted on a smile as she replied, "I suppose I do consider myself a decent actress."

* * *

When Briney's ship finally made port, Morgan said her goodbyes to him and Peeko, thanking them again for the assistance, then set out to find a rather populated beach between herself and Slateport-proper. She tried her hand at fishing in hopes of both catching another Pokemon and killing time to let the crowd clear out, but nothing seemed to be biting, so she eventually gave up.

There were way too many people- too many kids especially- and some of them wanting to battle wasn't making it any more pleasant. Finally, she noticed a small restaurant and thought that might be a decent place to duck away from the crowd. Maybe get some food and directions while she was at it.

But rather than a "Welcome!" or just a quiet wait, Morgan walked in to an owner muttering, "Ah, crap, it's a trainer." Even as she started to question, he regained his composure and elaborated, "I'm very sorry, miss. I'm afraid the Seashore House isn't currently offering our usual battle challenge. Please, take a few bottles of soda anyway as our apology."

Morgan wasn't going to turn down free shit, so she accepted the offer without asking questions.

"We do thank you for your understanding," the owner went on. "Our Pokemon are just in a little more need of recovery time than usual after a particularly fearsome trainer the other day… Apparently _some_ of our staff, Blair, made the mistake of underestimating her."

A gruff-looking man in a leather jacket barked back, "Dude will you lay off? All those Sand Attacks usually work! It's not like it's _my_ fault she had Aerial Ace. Besides, that Taillow was…"

Morgan fought not to facepalm. "Let me guess. Death on wings?"

"That's _one_ way to put it."

Of course. "Is there not a Pokemon Center in this town, or?"

The looks she got made Morgan jump slightly, before Blair grumbled, "Look, kid. Ain't all of us got free healthcare like you fancy sponserees. Scratches, exhaustion, mild burns, whatever they'll take care of, but my Poochyena's broken leg 'as gotta heal the old-fashioned way, unless _you_ wanna pay for them to zap it better."

Was that an option? Eh, she'd better not push her luck or give him false hope just in case. Also, wait, really? She guessed that made sense but she just sort of assumed… huh. "S-sorry. I should probably just… I'm gonna go. Thanks again for the soda."

As she walked the beach, nearing the city and leaving behind the crowd, she noticed and old man and a Zigzagoon picking up litter from the shoreline.

When the old man noticed her, he smiled and waved. "Well, hello there, youngster. I don't suppose you have time to pitch in a little for mother earth this afternoon?"

Morgan tried not to cringe. "Ah, sorry. Someone is actually waiting on me and I don't want to keep them."

His face fell, but soon brightened again as he said, "Oh, lad, it's you. It's been a while since I've seen you in these parts."

Morgan followed his gaze to a tall, broad-shouldered man approaching, wearing a gentle smile. "That it has, old friend. But business has brought me through, and you know I can't come to Slateport without stopping by." He turned his attention to Morgan, then. "I couldn't help but overhear. Are you sure you can't stay just a while? Maybe your friend could even join us."

"...To… pick up trash?"

The larger man crossed his arms and gave her an odd look. "Don't sound so surprised. The ocean is the mother of all life. And when we pollute her, it ends up in the rain, in our rivers, our crops and drinking water. It ends up in the homes of countless Pokemon who did nothing wrong. When humans are careless or selfish, it comes back to haunt everyone."

Morgan found her thoughts pulled back to her homeland. She'd seen firsthand what unchecked greed and corruption could cause, had grown up watching cities and countrysides ruined by forces outside her control. Imagining now the many Pokemon finding themselves similarly helpless to improve their condition, she said, "Sera can probably wait a little longer…"

* * *

As it happened, Sera was quite preoccupied, competing with Zuma in a local Cuteness Contest. When they took first prize, Sera swore she must have been the happiest ball of fluff that a Linoone ever was.

_They love me_, Zuma whimpered, claws to her face, tears in her eyes. _They really, truly love me!_

"You did a great job!" Sera congratulated her.

_And… And to think!_ Zuma exclaimed. _You said I didn't __**need**_ _both Charm __**and**_ _Baby-Doll Eyes!_ She sort of didn't, but she'd insisted on keeping both, and Sera supposed it did end up coming in handier for this than combat.

"Great job out there!" Sera's new friend Lisia told them as they headed backstage. "I just knew you could do it! I think I'll call this chapter in your story, 'I Really Did It! A Star is Born!'"

Sera laughed. With other amazing titles like "Sudden Encounter! Miraculous Contest Scouting!" and "My Big Beginning! A Heart-Pounding Contest Debut!", she was starting to wonder, "Do you think you _might_ be writing too many chapters there?"

Lisia blinked. "Wha'd'you mean?"

"I mean maybe it would be better to consolidate a little, you know?"

The idol frowned. "But I like writing. And aren't smaller chapters more digestable?"

Sera brought a finger to her face in thought. "Hmm.. I suppose there is that, but you've gotta find a balance. Otherwise your readers well be all, 'It's already chapter seven and the story is barely starting!' I understand feeling the need for set-up, but they'll probably respond better to two or three longer chapters than a bunch of small ones."

"Hm… You may have a point." Together, they turned to look into the vague foreground. After a few seconds, Lisia shook her head. "Sorry, I thought I saw something. Oh, but for your _next_ contest-!"

* * *

Morgan had to admit, this community service was a lot more rewarding than she'd expected, though she supposed she owed much of that to her company. The old man, Mr. Andrews, apparently lived nearby and had come here almost every day for the past 20 years or so to do his part keeping the beach clean. Morgan had to admire such determination, and especially that he could remain upbeat all the while.

The other man, Archie, was nothing if not passionate about the ocean. Not that his outfit hadn't made that abundantly clear from the beginning, though Morgan did have to wonder why he needed to keep his… wetsuit, she guessed? Unzipped to quite that low… Well, she'd simply try not to stare.

As they walked the full length of the shore, passing back by the harbor and circling back toward Slateport on the far side of the beach, he and Morgan talked while picking up litter, tossing a few beached fish back in the water, and at one point stopping to untangle a Wingull's foot from some plastic rings.

It did briefly occur to Morgan that she probably could have caught one of these, but that seemed rather inappropriate at the moment, and she wasn't really hurting for Pokemon anymore. In fact, the ones she had were proving quite useful. Cerberus did his part, and while Mithril had gotten a little overzealous and had to be recalled, Kitsun proved quite adept at using his psychic powers to carry large amounts of garbage effortlessly until they could find a place to properly dispose of or recycle it.

Archie's Sharpedo and Morgan's Tentacool helped as well, combing the shallows of the water while their humans combed the land. Archie had marked both with special bright bands to let any swimmers the Pokemon passed know that they were trained Pokemon doing work and not wild ones that may attack.

Archie shared a lot of interesting ocean trivia over the evening, as well as a pretty healthy handful of bad jokes. In general, he seemed like a pretty fun, laid back guy- but from time to time, he also got pretty intense. It was clear how much he hated all abuse and exploitation of the ocean- overfishing, oil drilling, all of it. He spoke briefly of something called Infinity Energy which was supposedly cutting down on fossil fuel consumption, but it wasn't entirely phased out yet. Devon's refusal to divulge where this new energy came from concerned him as well, and Morgan couldn't blame him. Or disagree on any point, really.

He _did_ mention something about retuning the world to its roots that struck Morgan as more than a little unnerving, but she told herself it was likely hyperbole.

With everyone working together, even at a leisurely pace, it took them less than two hours to do a job Mr. Andrews and his Zigzagoon usually couldn't finish in a day. "I do say, this may be the most pristine this beach has been in at least a year," the old man said.

Morgan smiled, but then let it fall to a frown. "Won't it just get cluttered again tomorrow?"

Archie nodded. "Aye, but not so badly."

"It'll be more manageable, at least for a time," Mr. Andrews added.

"And whatever the case, we cannot give up on making the world a better place just because it looks overwhelming. Even if all we can do for now is struggle to keep things from getting worse- even if we can't do _that, _just slow the rate of decline- anything is still better than giving up. Every difference we make, however small, still matters."

Morgan smiled with a little more determination, now. "Right."

Archie grinned at her now. "Say there, scamp. I like that look in your eyes."

Morgan gave a nervous, questioning laugh at his tone- then watched in horror as he took off his hat, for the bandana he wore beneath it bore an emblem she'd seen before. "We could use more folks like you in-"

"_Team Aqua_," she hissed.

Archie's brows raised. "Ah, heard of us, eh?"

"_Heard_ of you? You're _terrorists._" She found herself backing up now, putting distance between them.

Archie sighed heavily. "_Oh._ So you've bought into that." Um? Why wouldn't she? "Look, kid. I'm willing to forgive that you got in our way in Rustboro." Morgan's eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat. "But I want you to think about everything we discussed, and keep in mind, history favors the victors. Every great instrument of change is an extremist in their time."

Morgan couldn't really argue with that, but "...Your men attacked one friend of mine and kidnapped another."

"I'm not saying we've never made necessary sacrifices, but did either of them actually get hurt?" … He shifted to a more casual stance as he put his hat back on. "I don't wanna fight you, scamp. So I'll tell you what. You go meet up with that friend of yours, and I'm gonna go have a nice dinner to finish catching up with an old friend of mine." He nodded toward Andrews, who seemed oddly neutral through all this. "You think about it, and I hope that next time we meet, if you're not ready to join the cause, you'll at least stay out of Aqua's way." He looked directly at Morgan's Nav, then, and winked. "And if anyone watching out there wants to help us create a better world, Aqua's always recruiting~"

Morgan scrambled to grab and… cover? She didn't even know where her Nav recorded from but _she was trying dammit._ "Dude what the fuck you can't just-"

But Archie just flashed her a grin and waved, recalled his Pokemon, then went along his merry way, Mr. Andrews waving as he passed her and following.

Morgan stood flummoxed for almost a minute before deciding 'fuck it', recalling Manowar, and heading into town. That Sharpedo was clearly better trained than anything she had, and she wasn't about to go playing vigilante.

Could Archie have been right, though? She found herself getting more and more absorbed in thought as she walked. She couldn't deny that she'd gotten suspicious vibes here and there all over Hoenn. Was it possible that Team Aqua were the good guys here, just doing what they had to do to cure a corrupted country?

She was pulled from her reverie by the sound of tumbling garbage cans, and quickly turned to see an Aqua Grunt on the ground behind- the Oceanic Museum, according to the sign. There was an open window a story above her. … Morgan sighed. "Or maybe they're just a bunch of criminal assholes." Cerberus and Kitsun were both still following her, so she ordered them to attention.

The Grunt scrambled to her feet. "No fair! I wouldn't have to be out here if security inside wasn't on high alert from those Magma idiots." All the same, she released a Zubat and Poochyena.

"... Okay," Morgan said flatly. "Confusion, Fury Cutter."

The Zubat went down quickly. The Poochyena, however, held its own, and lunged at Kitsun. It hit him right in the neck, and the Kadabra jerked harshly before falling over. Another Fury Cutter did the Poochyena in, and the Aqua Grunt was quick to run- right over the nearby railing to jump into the ocean.

"Uh… Right." Well Morgan clearly wasn't following her either. "Nice job, gu-... Kitsun?"

Cerberus looked down in horror at his friend's body, then frowned up at Morgan.

Morgan, at this point, could only facepalm. "Oh for the love of…" This was just… _stupid._ Of all the fights, how on earth… She sighed, recalling the Revive she'd found back in the woods. "Don't worry, buddy, I can fix this."

That night at the Pokemon Center, Morgan received rather mixed reactions for the day's events. There were those who were thrilled for such thorough confirmation of the identity of Aqua's leader- or what had to at least be _a_ leader, though he matched what little information they'd had before. There were those who thought the insight into the Team's motivation would help in determining where they might strike next and better prepare the government to combat them. ...Annnd there were those who were concerned Morgan was a legitimate sympathizer or outraged she'd given them such free publicity.

Her night was… stressful, to say the least.

If there was some consolation to this day, it was that (a) at least Genevieve maintained faith in her, (b) the Center assured her Kitsun should be revived by morning, and (c) tomorrow morning, she could wake up to Cerberus's chin pressed against her face and finally continue about business as usual.


	11. Potential

When Morgan went downstairs the following morning to pick up Kitsun, the nurse gave her a note from Sera. 'Hey Slowpoke, went ahead to Route 110. Catch me if you can! ;P'

Because of course she did. After taking a few minutes to get her team in order, Morgan headed out.

She was so annoyed with the antics that she stormed right past several opportunities for Pokemon in an effort to catch up with or finally pass her rival. Of course, it would have been nice if she could have taken the nice smooth bike path, but no.

It took a few hours of hiking, but finally, she spied a flash of pink and red ahead. Thank goodness, it seemed Sera had been more slowed by battles.

...Or had she? As Morgan got closer, she realized Sera was neither caught up in a fight nor trying to move. She seemed to be… waiting?

As she finally caught sight of Morgan, she smiled. "Heya~ Walk with me," she beckoned.

"Uh… Sure, I. Guess?" What did she have up her sleeve?

Sera led her then along the path next to the bridge, making small talk and seeming to pay close attention to the markers above. "So, how was your voyage?"

"It was all right. Briney and Peeko are really nice people, though it did get a little boring when they were preoccupied."

"Did you catch anything on this route?" Morgan shook her head. "Ah. That's a shame, I was sort of hoping you'd caught a Plusle. I wanted to trade you my Minun." She laughed. "She's even more of a bummer than you are." Morgan rolled her eyes; hardy har har.

They continued like that for perhaps five minutes before at last Sera stopped and smiled up at a pillar. She turned back to Morgan, then made a head gesture to indicate for her to follow- not that she wasn't… already doing that.

Sera took her under the bike path then. "Sit. We'll rest here a few minutes."

Morgan did not oblige yet. "You're acting really suspicious?"

Sera flashed her a grin and repeated, "Sit," as she did the same. Morgan rolled her eyes but complied now. "I've watched these Games religiously for years, you know."

"...Yeah?"

"You start noticing things after a while. Obstacles that come up more often than others. Places where you're likely to need certain Pokemon help to progress. Places where more training might be needed to stay up to par and places where speed might be better."

"And?"

"Places where the broadcast consistently cuts out." Morgan's eyes widened a little. "Even Devon's coverage isn't perfect. It gets better every year, but there are still places. Those in and around towns and cities take priority, so they're not to worried about a place like this, in the middle of nowhere, where most trainers pass through with only about a minute of fuzzy muffled footage unless they just so happen to get into a battle."

"I… see. So we're actually… This is private, right now?"

Sera nodded. "More or less. I went through a bunch of footage of others's recent runs last night to find where along the route this weak spot was. They can probably mostly see us and might catch one in every 20 words, but it should be really distorted."

"Hm." Of course, that still begged the question, "Why though? What's up?"

Sera became more somber. "Before watching that last night, I watched your daily recap. You're… not thinking of joining Team Aqua or anything… are you?"

Morgan pursed her lips. "I'm going to pretend you didn't ask."

Sera sighed in relief. "Good. Sorry if it sounded like I don't trust you, I just had to make sure."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Well, that makes about three people in this gods-forsaken region." Sera tilted her head questioningly, and Morgan elaborated on the calls she'd received the night before.

"Oh… Oh, wow." It was Morgan's turn to question, and Sera shared her tale of meeting Maxie, and being _encouraged_ to use Magma's trust if she could.

"What in the actual- _Why_ though. How is it I get reprimanded where you get accolades?"

Sera cringed slightly for a moment, but then shrugged. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's because they trust me."

"No, you don't say."

She shook her head. "_No_ I mean like. They have _reason_ to trust me. It's not like I talk to any of them on a regular basis other than dad, which I guess is something in its own right, and Mr. Norman when he's in Littleroot. But I've been _around_ League officials since I was knee-high to a lot of them. It's not exactly _friends_ in high places, but they know who I am. You're a newcomer, and that makes you an unknown."

"Hm. I guess when you put it that way…" Didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

But Sera smiled as she stood. "Don't worry too much about it. As long as you show them where your loyalties lie, I'm sure they'll trust you in no time." Morgan nodded, and Sera went on, "But we should get moving again. They'll get suspicious if we linger too long."

"Yeah. All right." Morgan stood as well, and suddenly realized Sera was moving closer. "What are you-"

Without warning, Sera leaned in to kiss her cheek. "They can still sort of see us, after all," she said softly. Pulling away, she winked and added, "That should stop anyone from asking what we might have been talking about."

Morgan was slightly frozen, and when she finally regained her faculties, she droned, "I see your point, but please don't do that again." Or fucking warn her next time, what the hell, Sera. "Also isn't that, like, super inappropriate or something?"

Sera snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. "_Please._ The media loves a good scandal. They'll eat this _up_." As she turned and all but trotted back out into the open, she turned back to a slowly following Morgan to call, "Also! I think it's about time we had another rival battle, don't you~?"

Rubbing her face trying to get the feeling to go away, Morgan replied, "Yes. Yes I do."

As before, they set their Navs to countdown. 3… 2… 1…

"Go, Manowar."

"Go, Pikachu!"

…

. . . What.

. . . . . . "_What."_

"What?" Sera asked.

"... Sera. Sera no." The Pokemon wore a bright pink dress that seemed entirely made of poofs and frills, with a bow nearly as big as its ears tied onto one of them. Even its eyes seemed extra sparkly.

"I- _She_ picked this out, I swear. I didn't- I'm not one of those rich old ladies that dresses up their Lillipup or something, I-... I promise she _wants_ to wear this."

Morgan rubbed her temples. That may or may not be true, but the fact remained that Sera knew exactly what her problem was without Morgan having to say anything more than 'no'. "All right, let's… just… Manowar, return." If she had to fight this ridiculous thing, she wasn't going to do it with a type disadvantage.

Cerberus came in, and was immediately paralyzed by Pikachu's Thunder Wave. "Draining Kiss!" Sera called, and Morgan watched as Pikachu performed what looked a lot like Cerberus's Mega Drain, except the energy was pale pink rather than green, and it also involved a kiss, because? It didn't do very much damage at all, but Morgan couldn't be sure if Cerberus was struggling with the paralysis or just as caught off-guard as she'd been.

"Sera…" Pikachu used Quick Attack, but Morgan sighed. "_This_ is how you do a draining move." Mega Drain crit, almost completely healing Cerberus in the process.

Sera cringed and withdrew Pikachu, replacing her with with Flash. Morgan got in a Quick Attack of her own, then swapped Cerberus back for Manowar. Flash used Flame Charge for a shockingly high amount of damage; Sera seemed just as surprised as she was, at least. Then Morgan's Nav indicated his speed rose. … Then, it indicated his.. speed.. rose? Morgan shook that off and ordered an attack, but the next Flame Charge managed to knock out Manowar before he could comply. Again, her Nav notified her twice. "Does… that attack make him faster _on top of_ his Speed Boost." Sera grinned wide. ".._Why?_"

"Because it's _hilarious,_" Sera replied.

Ignoring that, Morgan withdrew the unconscious Tentacool and sent in her Croagunk, who no longer outleveled the rest of her team by quite so wide a margin but had still proven quite effective. Flash's Peck did a fair bit of damage, but Revenge once again took out the glass cannon, leading Sera to give a loud whine. "Not my fault you didn't learn," teased Morgan.

Sera pursed her lips a moment, but then took a deep breath and shifted to a gentle smile, shrugging lightly. "That's okay. Let's see how you like this." She recalled Flash, and sent in a _Swellow._ "Evolved on my way out here this morning." She gave a wink that reeked of spite, and Morgan was suddenly regretting that tease.

Well, she did have- Morgan withdrew Robit and sent in Mithril, who soaked Wings's Aerial Ace with ease. Sera was back to huffing, and she swapped him out for her Nuzleaf, Pelt.

Morgan took the opportunity to employ an Iron Defense, and Pelt's Beat Up largely bounced off. Mithril's Iron Head did not. Feint Attack did notably more damage than Beat Up, but another Iron Head took Pelt out.

Sera decided to counter Morgan's tank with a Tank of her own, then, and a Mud Bomb was enough to knock Mithril out. ...Well. At least he fainted smoothly this time.

Morgan suddenly had an idea, and sent out Cerberus. As expected, Sera started reaching for Tank's ball to recall him, so Morgan immediately recalled as well, sending Kitsun in only a second after Wings returned to the field.

Sera's taken aback expression would have been enough to validate Morgan, but she went on to confirm, "Nice prediction," before opting to switch again. Zuma came out right into a Psybeam, which did a good bit of damage. But not quite enough for Morgan's taste, so back to Robit it was.

Except holy shit, that Headbutt nearly knocked Robit out? Uh… How about, maybe… Zack, instead? Dustox came in to another Headbutt, but took it better. Venoshock didn't do much, though, and another Headbutt put him down to the wire as well.

OKAY how about- Fuck it, _Cerberus._ He came in to a Headbutt, but surely he'd be fast enough to-...when… he wasn't fighting _paralysis, fuck._ A second hit took him down. "You know you can use another move any day now," Morgan grumbled.

"If it ain't broke!"

Back to Kadabra. Headbutt, KO. Back to Dustox, Headbutt, KO.

Looking down at Robit's PokeBall, Morgan sighed. "Yeah, we know how this is gonna end. I give, you win."

"Awww, that's no fun." Sera stuck out her tongue, and Morgan didn't have the energy to point out the awful implications right now. "But hey, let me heal your Pokemon, yeah?" ...Well, okay, that was a little better.

While Sera did that, Morgan found herself reflecting on the battle. Switching in the right Pokemon at the right time was definitely one of the more useful strategies, but perhaps she'd gotten a little carried away there. Might she have done better just letting a few take the fall? Or was her team just all-around too slow to have made a difference? That said…

"I gotta ask. That's the same Zuma, right? Like, the Zigzagoon you got on Day… 3 was it?"

Sera nodded. "Mm-hm?"

"And when you got her, she was no stronger than any of the other Zigzagoon in the area? Like it wasn't a Wings situation, she was just… Exactly like all the ones we effortlessly plowed through?"

"More or less. Why?"

"_How_, in only a week's time, did she get strong enough to take out half my team?"

Sera smiled and shrugged. "Determination, I guess. It's true, some Pokemon have more natural potential than others. The strongest Zuma could ever get would never equal the strongest Flash or Cerberus could ever get. But here and now, while they're all still growing, every Pokemon has the potential to get stronger with a little time and effort."

"Huh." That was… actually a little touching. And considering yesterday's incident with Kitsun and that Poochyena, Morgan supposed she really should stop- hey speaking of Poochyena. "I noticed you didn't have Spitfire?"

Sera's eyes widened and an awkward attempt at a smile froze on her face a moment before shifting into more straightforward awkwardness. "Yyyyeah, I…" She sighed. "I thought she'd get over The Incident after a few days of seeing everything was okay, but I guess… Some Pokemon deal with it better than others? So I uh… I sent her home to my mom to be a pet from now on. I guess… it probably seems silly to have used a precious Revive only to stop using her so soon, but…"

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "I'd say being a pet in a loving home sounds a hell of a lot better than being dead, so I mean…"

"Heh." Sera smiled. "Yeah, there is that. Kitsun seems to be holding up well though?"

"As far as I can tell," agreed Morgan. Now what, though? Morgan started to reach for her Nav to check her map, but thought better of it. "Hey, tell me Miss Games Expert, how much longer should it be until we get to Mauville?"

Sera paused a moment. "Ahhh… I'd say if we make good time we could get there around nightfall, assuming nothing comes up."

"Cool. ...So, we're not going to walk together, are we?"

"Hm.." Sera shrugged. "We could if you wanted, just for the rest of the route, but the spirit of the thing _is_ to travel separately. So I guess one of us should give the other a bit of a head start." … She gave Morgan a wry smile. "And you know, since I _did_ win our battle…"

Morgan raised a brow. "Uh-huh. Of course by that logic, since _I_ won our _last_ battle, I should've been the one who got to come ahead on Salamence, right?"

Sera snorted as she tried and failed to suppress a laugh, bringing a hand to her mouth a little to late. "_Okay,_ okay, fair enough. There's so much to do in Mauville that we'll probably sink a lot of time there anyway. So go ahead. I'll hang back here for about 10 or 15 minutes before I follow."

Morgan couldn't help but smile, probably feeling more satisfied than she should to finally be ahead of her rival if only for a little while.

* * *

Sera decided a small picnic would be a good way to pass the time, then found the most open area she could to set up. Once everyone was released, she sat down and began distributing PokePuffs.

_I'd love a pink one, please,_ Pikachu said.

Zuma bristled, indignant. _But! But I always get the pink ones!_

Sera rolled her eyes. "Oh c'mon, it won't hurt you to share one or two."

_B-but-_ She shook a little, letting out a sound between a growl and while as she watched Pikachu slowly eat one of her beloved favorites, a smug smile on the electric mouse's face.

Tilting his head, Tank offered, _Do you want some of mine, Zuma?_

Zuma pouted. _No, yours are orange. I wanted the pink…_ Pelt pointed questioningly at the small pile of pink puffs in front of her. _...Yes, but I wanted __**more**_ _pink._

Wings looked up from munching his pile of assorted colors to roll his eyes. _Do you actually dislike other flavors?_ The Linoone shifted uncomfortably at that. _I thought not. Now stop squabbling like a hatchling. No one cares about your compulsive need for attention._

Zuma shrunk a little and began to quietly eat one of her puffs, but Flash shrugged. _Leave her alone. As long as she can pull it off, there's nothing wrong with projecting a certain image._

Sera smirked. "Not that I can imagine anyone else here who might do that."

Flash puffed his feathers. _Course not. I don't even have to try to be this awesome._ A few quiet snickers were shared among the group, but if Flash noticed, he didn't care. Zuma smiled and settled down, blush barely visible through her pale fur.

Wings shook his head, muttering _Petulant children_ under his breath.

Flash frowned as much as his semi-malleable beak would allow. _Look Captain Funtimes, I don't usually shit on you for your angry-at-the-world schtick, but if you're trying to imply that having a sense of humor makes us somehow inferior to you, you're talking to the wrong guy, because I'm kind of the MVP of this team._

Wings bristled. _Really. And who was it who swept the entirety of the last Gym?_

_Yeah? Well who was it who swept the entire first rival battle?_ A hand flew to Sera's mouth as she barely resisted laughing. She knew if she didn't, no one would tell Wings that battle had only been 2-on-2. Meanwhile, Pelt gave Flash a simple thumbs up in approval, and Flash gestured to him in turn. _Yeah! See? This guy right here. He knows what I'm talkin' about._ Pelt offered a cheesty grin, and Flash went on to add, _Besides, I'm a starter. Starters always get favored on these things._

Sera cringed a little. "_Hey_ now, that's not fair." Sort of..._true_, but still. It happening was one thing; calling attention to it was another.

_Tank, dear,_ Pikachu said. _Haven't you been around just as long as Flash?_

Tank laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. _Actually, I've… been around little longer,_ he said. Several years longer, for that matter; where Flash was a birthday present when she'd turned 16, Tank had been with her since she was 12. He was very likely the oldest Pokemon here- and for that matter, older now than some starter Pokemon ever got to be. Sera knew he'd never call attention to that, though. _But I don't... think it really matters all that much, really... We all do important stuff from time to time, so I don't really mind if someone else enjoys the spotlight a little more. As long as the team does good… right?_

Wings looked Tank up and down. _...Hm. It seems the Marshtomp, at least, has some sense. Perhaps this team is not without hope._

_My, my,_ teased Pikachu. _Could it be we're finally starting to grow on you?_

Wings did not respond, simply returning to his PokePuffs. Pelt produced a small whistle through his teeth to get the Swellow's attention, and gave him a grin and another thumbs up. Wings huffed and began eating more fervently.

* * *

_Mauville?_ More like _Mallville_. Morgan laughed quietly to herself, certain that joke had definitely never been made before ever.

But seriously. Whose idea was it to make most of a city indoors? It definitely had a very unique appeal, but it was terribly strange at the same time. As she got further into the city, the bad began to outweigh the good as crowds thickened and background noise grew louder.

Suddenly, a voice rose over the crowd. "I just want to take on the Gym!"

Wait, was that-? She saw a brief flash of green a good ways ahead before hearing a man call, "Wally, wait up! You shouldn't be pushing yourself!"

Huh. ...Well, it was sort of late, but one wouldn't know it from the bright lights. She may as well. Morgan tailed a ways behind until she finally saw Wally with a middle-aged man up ahead. Wally seemed pretty thoroughly winded, but holding up otherwise.

"Uncle, please. I promise I- I can handle it now."

His uncle cringed. "Wally… Look, it's not that you haven't gotten a lot stronger, I just…"

Wally finally caught sight of her. "Morgan? Is that you?"

"What gave me away?" she teased. "I'm sure it wasn't hair, or the super distinctive hat, or the fact that I've worn the same outfit for a week and a half. Can't imagine how you could tell."

Wally laughed weakly, but sincerely. "But hey. You haven't had Pokemon much longer than I have, and you've gotten really strong, right?"

She shrugged. "Relatively speaking, I guess? I kind of got my ass kicked this afternoon, but I've been stronger than all the other trainers I've come across so far, so I guess that counts for something."

Wally nodded. "I've… I've gotten a lot stronger too!" he declared. "But my uncle won't believe me."

His uncle fought back a sigh. "Wally-"

"Morgan! Would-... Would you battle with me? S-so I can show him?"

"UH-..."

"Please."

"How uh… how many Pokemon have you caught, exactly?"

"Huh?" His eyes fell to the tiny white creature that held onto his pant leg. "Just Ralts, so far, but-"

"Wally. Wally I have six battle-vetted Pokemon."

"We can make it one on one… right?" he pleaded.

"Wally… Please do not make me beat up your emotional therapy Pokemon to prove a point."

Just as Wally looked ready to back down, Ralts stepped forward. "RAL," he declared adamantly.

"Uh.." The tiny Pokemon bowed up threateningly and barked what Morgan could only imagine were insults. She huffed a heavy sigh. "You know what? Fine."

Mithril was sent out. A single Hold Back had Ralts struggling to cling to consciousness. Morgan wished she felt as bad as she should have about the horrified look on Wally's face, but maybe now he'd listen to reason.

"I… I'm sorry…" He scooped Ralts up in his arms, and held the Pokemon like a small child. "I thought… I thought we could… _I_ could... " He sighed. "I'll… I'm ready to go home, uncle."

His uncle cringed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure? We can stay out as late as you want, and there's lots of other stuff to do."

"I just… I wanna go home."

Suddenly, Morgan's Nav began to ring. Odd, she didn't usually get calls until she'd settled in for the night. "...Norman?" she asked as she answered it.

"Let me talk to Wally," her sponsor commanded. So apparently he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge her falling off the grid or losing a Pokemon or- okay then.

As she spun the Nav around, Wally asked, "Mr. Norman?"

"Hey, champ. I saw what happened just now." Wally's face suddenly went ruby red, no doubt realizing that if Norman had seen, so had most of Hoenn. "Don't sweat it."

"I-I- I…"

Norman continued on. "It's okay. I know what training looks like on tv, but you know most who don't start in the Games don't progress nearly that fast, right?" Wally stayed quiet. "They're higher risk and higher reward," he elaborated. "But you can't compare your progress to theirs. I mean, just look at you!"

Wally pursed his lips, muttering, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean in just this short time, it's already clear how much better you're doing. I can _see_ it, even from here. You've got a glow you didn't have before."

"O-..oh." That didn't seem to be what Wally expected, and a slow small smile found its way to his lips.

Looking him over, Morgan had to agree with that assessment. ...Like, _really_ agree now that she was looking. His hair… kind of… reminded her of Flash's sheen? Like Mithril was metal so she wasn't sure what he'd even look like not-"Shiny", but the not-quite-glittering quality of Flash's feathers was-... There was definitely some similarity between it and Wally's hair. Morgan decided not to ask, but knew she'd be wondering for months now if humans in this land could be 'Shiny' too.

Of course, in doing all that, she spaced out, but when she came back to reality it didn't seem she'd missed much. Just more of Norman offering encouragement. "So don't give up, pal. You do have a long way to go, and it might take you longer than Sera or Morgan, or even longer than most trainers. You might be able to take on a gym challenge, or you might not. But if being a trainer is what you want to do, then… Keep trying. You don't have to be the best there ever was, Just strive to be the best _you_ can be."

Wally nodded, and thanked him, and they said their goodbyes. Morgan's Nav beeped and flashed back to the home screen, and Wally rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "Morgan.. Thank _you_, too. You showed me how reckless we were being, and just how far I have to go. But…" He looked down at the little Ralts in his arms and smiled softly. "We're gonna do it. We'll get stronger, at our own pace… Right, little one?" Ralts grinned weakly, and nuzzled closer to Wally.

"Heh. Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

Turning to his uncle, Wally said, "If.. If you're still okay with going, I think some ice cream might help Ralts feel better."

His uncle smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Anything you want, lad."

* * *

That night, when Morgan finally made it back to the Pokemon Center, she caught sight of Sera just as the latter was starting to head upstairs.

"Told you it wouldn't matter too much," the younger girl teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Morgan muttered… before shifting into a smug grin. "But do you have… _three badges?_" She whipped out the new badge in question as she asked, and Sera squeaked as her jaw dropped.

"Oh _wow!_ Congratz on knocking that out so fast!"

"I'd say that counts as at least a _little_ difference, eh?"

Sera giggled. "Just a little. But I guess I'd better get straight to bed so I can catch up in the morning, eh?" She winked, then blew Morgan a kiss before spinning on her heels and trotting up the stairs.

Morgan simply rolled her eyes, given she was about 95% sure the gesture was just meant to rile her. .. Probably. …Maybe 90% sure.


	12. Past and Future

Sera hadn't been kidding about there being a lot to do in Mauville. Morgan considered just ignoring it all to continue journeying as soon as possible, but seeing as she was a little ahead now, she figured it didn't hurt to sink just the morning into having a look around.

As she did, she started to realize how one could sink so much time here: many places catered to trainers in some way, and many others offered discount or complimentary services to Games trainers. She'd just been complaining about not having a bike, and now a nice shop owner gave her a free one. Another place offered one free massage to Game trainers and a single Pokemon of choice, so naturally she had to- or uh, Cerberus 'convinced her' to try it out, that was it.

That said, not every stop was so pleasant. As she passed a tv station, she saw a little boy staring up at the screens out front, starry-eyed. "Isn't Nav news the coolest?" he asked aimlessly, though Morgan didn't see anyone else any closer.

"I guess," she humored him.

"I see my friends on tv a lot lately. Did you know? Sometimes they even put you on tv without telling you!"

Morgan forced an uncomfortable laugh. "Oh… Kid, trust me, they tell me…"

He looked up at her then, and his eyes widened further. "Oooh! You're Morgan, aren't you! I'm such a big fan! Your Metang is the _coolest_."

Morgan found herself smiling. "Heh. Well, thanks, kid."

"But no I meant.. Of course _you're _almost _always_ on tv, but a lot of times they put regular people on as a total surprise!" His eyes widened. "Wait! I bet I'm on your channel right now, huh!" He waved. "Hi mom! Hi dad! Hi-"

As he went down a small list, Morgan found her nerves bristling. That uh… total lack of privacy didn't exactly strike her as something to brag about.

That encounter got Morgan on alert, and she began paying more attention to conversations people were having as she passed. Most were mundane or otherwise uninteresting to her, but some words of interest did seem to come up often. "New Mauville", "Sea Mauville", "Devon", "the Mauville Corporation", with the latter sometimes prefaced by "old"or suffixed by "still existed".

"Back when I worked for Sea Mauville" were words she heard in some form probably at least a dozen times throughout the day. It also seemed Mauville had a bit of a population problem, and "if only they'd continued New Mauville" came up several times as well.

What struck Morgan as particularly interesting about this was that the town as a whole seemed so vibrant and bustling, yet when she stopped to eavesdrop, an aura of dissatisfaction often hung in the air. Even without focusing on those keywords, she was starting to get the feeling that people were generally less happy under the surface.

In one case, she passed near two young women tucked away in a corner. "S-so, we can really go out for dinner? Like… together?" one was asking.

The other smiled weakly. "I promised, right? You finally made it to Ace Trainer status, and I don't go back on my word." The seemingly-younger girl's eyes brightened, but the elder shook her head. "It ain't like that, I'm afraid. This is gonna be our farewell dinner."

The ace trainer's heart visibly sank. "-B-but…"

"You've got a reputation to think about now, Rosie. You can't have it tarnished by hanging out with some lowlife."

"But.. But I never wanted…"

The older girl placed a hand on Rosie's shoulder. "Hey, buck up. It ain't gotta be sad like that. It's just… You're like Uber tier now. You can't be weighed down by trash like me."

Okay, this was getting ridiculous and Morgan couldn't help herself. "That's bullshit," she barked, causing both girls to jump, not seeming to have realized she was there.

"H-_Hey!_" said the older girl. "Mind your own beeswax, will ya?"

Morgan sighed and rolled her eyes before shamelessly resorting to her trump card: releasing Mithril. That got them listening. "You see this Metang? This thing is like, status incarnate or something in these parts, right?"

"Uhhh…" Rosie's face shifted to match her name, and she leaned over to mumble what Morgan was pretty sure was along the lines of "Shit I think we might be on tv."

"Maybe no one's watching this early," mumbled the other girl.

Morgan rubbed her temple and tried to ignore that. "I got my ass kicked by a _Linoone_ yesterday, okay? S-so like…" She had a point here, what were words. Uh. After fighting a second to find her train of thought, she said, "Sorry to… butt in or whatever, but… I mean if you want to break up with her just _do it, _don't… blame some status bullshit."

It was the older girl's turn to go red now. "I wasn't-... I'm just acknowledging how the world works, kid."

Morgan crossed her arms. "Well… Who says it has to? What if instead of dragging her down, she could pull you up? Or, ya know… Some people like a hero who's down to earth, friendly with everyone regardless of their place in life." She suddenly wanted to kick herself, but couldn't help echoing, "And.. even if you _can't_ ever be 'as good as' her, you can… you know… still strive to be the best _you_ can be. ...for her?"

They both seemed quiet and awkward now, and Morgan felt that much more awkward in turn. "W-well… Just… think about it, I guess. S-sorry again for uh… interrupting, or… whatever."

She recalled Mithril then and excused herself, trying to keep her mind off that whole debacle by wondering what else there was to do in this stupid town.

* * *

"What the hell is an Inverse Battle?"

"Just what it sounds like," the young man said. "Super-effective moves become ineffective, and vice versa. Fire beats water, grass beats fire. Think you can keep up?"

Morgan deadpanned a few moments. "Okay like. I get the concept but _how?_ Is it like a simulation or-"

"Oh, it's quite real," he assured her. "Through years of honing this very particular skill, I am able to use my psychic powers to alter the physiology of a small group of Pokemon for a limited time."

She tried to wrap her head around that. "So… Okay I think I get it. You change the way they perceive attacks, so that they think and act like they're working differently?"

His mouth slanted. "Nnnno, like I said, I actually change them. I realize it's an unusual skill but most people find it pretty self-explanatory."

"I- So hang on. You're telling me that using a mental power, you _literally_ alter the properties of the world."

"Yes," he said with a nod.

"_So you have magic!"_ she exclaimed, probably sounding a little accusatory but actually quite excited.

"Ah- It's a little cheap to call it 'magic', but I suppose if that helps you-"

She shook her head. "No. Dude that's _magic_, that is the actual definition of magic. Please, you're the first person I've met anywhere in Hoenn who-" Wait. She'd gotten so caught up that she hadn't even considered he might just be lying. "Unless it's a trick," she sighed.

Growing a little annoyed, he insisted, "It is _no_ trick, madam. Please, if you would be so kind as to battle with me, you shall see my powers are _quite_ real."

Well, it was free, right? "Nonlethal rules?" He nodded. "Why not, I guess."

If there was one Pokemon who'd be able to tell her just how real this was, it was Mithril. If the so-called Psychic was telling the truth, Steel-type Pokemon should be weak to most types now.

So- was Inver his actual name or a stage name, she wondered?- Inver closed his eyes, began to hum a chant, and held up his glowing hands. Morgan was no closer to being convinced this was different from sorcery.

Inver stopped abruptly, suddenly grasping his head as if in pain. "Ah.. C-could you ask-...xir? to stop resisting, please." ...Ooh. Either he got really lucky with that pronoun or there was something to this after all.

Mithril looked to Morgan, and she nodded. "It's all right. Just let him work his…" She stopped short of finishing the phrase and suppressed a small laugh.

At any rate, Mithril calmed down and Inver was able to complete his invocation. Once the stage had been set, he released his first Pokemon: a Loudred.

_So… about that… Echoed Voice._ As weak as the first hit got Mithril, and given how he'd reacted to a certain other sound-based move in the past, Morgan quickly gave up on him and brought in… Well, she wasn't sure what Normal-types normally resisted, but she suppose neutrality wasn't the worst option.

The battle didn't last long, Loudred's increasingly stronger screams taking out most of her team. She finally got him down, but the Marill to follow took down Cerberus and finished off Mithril.

"Hn." Inver smiled confidently. "Do you see now the true power of Inverse Battles?"

Morgan allowed his assistant to take her Pokemon for a few minutes to revitalize them, while she nodded and fixed her gaze upon him. "Yes, and like I said, that was definitely magic."

He sighed. "I suppose if you really want t-"

"_Teach me._"

"Excuse me?"

"I need to know how you're doing that here, in this land. Teach me," she implored.

"Ah… Your enthusiasm is heartwarming, but I'm afraid it isn't a skill one can teach from scratch. As I said, my inversion technique is a very unique skill honed over many years. For the right incentive, I could _maybe_ teach you some more minor abilities like telekinesis-" he made her Pokeballs float from his returning assistant back to Morgan with the wave of his hand- "but even that would require you first had some aptitude for it. It's next to impossible for a person to just _decide_ to become a psychic."

Morgan fought not to fidget. "But I _do, _I- I was a _mage_, a wizard, an actual sorceress. My magic just doesn't work _here_, and I haven't been able to figure out _why._"

Inver tilted his head. "You… _used_ to have psychic powers?"

"Yes! I mean I didn't call them that, but I could make light and heat or cool the air and moves things and… and I can't now," she sighed, losing her momentary fervor.

The psychic brought a hand to his chin. "I've never _heard_ of anyone _losing_ their powers outside of… You didn't suffer any major head trauma that you know of?" Morgan hesitated a moment, but shook her head. She supposed it was possible, but a concussion should have worn off by now, and she had no signs of lasting injury so far as she could tell. "And where did you say you were from?"

"Snaska," she answered. When he didn't reply, she elaborated, "Moderately sized country. Dry, warm. Lots of corn in the past. Lots of poverty now. Been at war for a while with Abranesk?"

"I've… never heard of either." Morgan was pretty sure he didn't believe her, but he asked, "Could I… Would you be willing to allow me to read your mind briefly?"

"Uh…" There was probably a lot of stuff she shouldn't be letting just anyone see, but this was her first lead in all of Hoenn, so… "If you _can_, try to stay away from the more private… stuff? And just… don't stay too long."

Inver nodded, and closed his eyes, extending his hands toward her. Soon the world went dark for her as well, though she remained aware of her surroundings, and was fairly sure her eyes were open. She saw brief flashes of her journey thus far, in reverse. She saw Zuma's stream of Headbutts, Archie on the beach, Steven in the cave- and noticed this memory lingered a little longer than the others. As a sense of urgency built- hers or Inver's she couldn't tell- the slideshow moved on. Saving Peeko, saving Scardee, meeting Wally, meeting Sera.

Waking up in the back of a van.

A brief flash of Norman.

The floor below her shaking form, a feeling of both overwhelming relief and ear-ringing confusion.

A bright light?

A battlefield, Commander Ranik in front of her, Staugh at her side, and a lurching demonic creature towering before them; this she recognized, and as such she could identify the shock she felt in that moment was certainly Inver's.

A mess hall, Yato's inhuman visage across from her, her beloved pet Persy on the table between them stealing scraps from their plates.

A tower, cold yet homely, filled with too many stacks of books next to half-empty shelves, rarely returned where they belonged when she was done with them.

Her hands before her, one effortlessly producing a ball of light while the other rummaged through bottles of herbs and extracts.

Standing among several men and women clad in robes similar to her own, looking down at a platoon of armored soldiers below, then out at the sweeping landscape. Morgan identified the view as Snaska, but was surprised to realize she no longer felt so strongly about it as "home".

Morgan snapped back to reality now, finding Inver short of breath and beginning to sweat. "What.. What _were_ those things?"

"Which ones?" It took a moment to click that he obviously meant all of them. "Or uh… Where should I start, I guess?"

Inver slowly shook his head. "It might be best not to get into it. Just.. they weren't Pokemon, were they?"

"No."

"I thought not.."

"You didn't see any more than I did between the battlefield and Norman, did you? Just… there, then here?" He nodded, and her gut turned. Why was that transition so quick? It didn't have the same skimming feeling that had been there between recent memories. Was that just because she didn't know what was supposed to be there, or…?

As he finally caught his breath, Inver said, "Here. Let's register each other in our Navs and I'm gonna… I can definitely feel a potential within you, even outside the memories, so I can't understand your lack of powers either, and I want to try to research this some on my own. If I find anything, I'll let you know."

Morgan nodded and thanked him, then went to do just that. "...That's weird, why is the screen-" It had been fine during her battle.

"Ah, sorry, here." Inver took her Nav a moment and fiddled with it until it returned to working order. "Sometimes psychic energy messes with technology a bit, and since we use it so much here it's pretty normal for things to get a little buggy."

"...Interesting," mused Morgan.

Inver chuckled. "You know I used to live in Kalos, and over there you basically can't use anything more high tech than an abacus within 30 yards of Olympia's Gym. Fortunately for trainers like you, Hoenn seems a little more conservative with things like that, so my little shop here is one of the worst offenders." Handing her Nav back, he said, "It should be fine now, though."

"Right. Thanks so much again."

"I just hope I'm able to find something," he said.

"Yeah… Me too."

* * *

To Morgan's surprise, she actually had managed to kill most of the day without realizing it. There wasn't too much else she'd seen of interest, though, so she could probably head out in the morning. If Sera really did end up spending as much time in Mauville as expected, this could be a pretty good chance for Morgan to get a bit of a lead.

As she walked down one of the corridor streets, her attention was loosely caught by the beep of a nearby elevator. From what she'd heard, visitors in town didn't tend to get to go to the resident levels, though, so Morgan had little reason to care too- Wait, speak of the devil. "Sera?"

The girl was caught up in conversation with a young man who looked perhaps Morgan's age, her hand casually hooked on his arm- at least until she heard her name, at which point she jumped a good two feet away from him. "Morgan!" she exclaimed. "I- Fancy bumping into you."

Somewhere between deadpan and amusement, Morgan looked between them. Oh.

"I uh… Th-this is Nikolai. He was a competitor a few years ago. He lived in Littleroot for a few months before starting his Game so we got to know each other, and after winning he decided to move here to Mauville, so I figured while I was in town…"

For all Sera's awkward energy, Nikolai seemed pretty disinterested in Morgan. Glancing her way briefly, he said simply, "Sup."

Maybe she could just ignore him? "You get your Badge?" she asked.

Sera grinned, shifting back into her usual ease at the subject change. "You mean between Tank's Mud Balls and Flash's Double Kick trick to get through Magneton's Sturdy? Yeah, I managed." She stuck out her tongue playfully.

...Annnd, despite her effort, Morgan found herself looking Nikolai over. He wasn't especially tall or short, was a little heavier than most people she'd seen in Hoenn but not particularly large, and neither his face nor his wardrobe was anything to write home about. Which was to say, he was entirely _average_, and this told her _absolutely nothing_ about Sera's tastes. ...Which, of course, she was only interested in knowing to gauge whether Sera was trolling her or needed to be gently let down.

She supposed his shaggy white hair was interesting, though it didn't hold a candle to Steven's sterling silver. Though atop that hair… Morgan cracked a small smile. "Nice hat." It wasn't as floppy or distinctly shaped as hers, but a white beanie was still pretty close, right?

"Mm? Heh, you too."

"...That's not like. A Thing, right? For Game trainers to wear white hats?"

Sera tilted her head, then laughed lightly. "Not that I can recall. Though it's amusing that two of the competitors I know best both wear one all the time."

Oh hey, that was something; Morgan was pretty sure this was the first other competitor she'd met aside from Sera. Or rather, the first she'd met who was already done with their journey. "Hey uh. Do you mind if I borrow him?"

"Huh?" The sound came in near unison, though in different tones.

"Er, just.. Nikolai, would-"

"Nik's fine," he mumbled.

"...Kay. So Nik, would you mind maybe telling me a bit about how your journey went?"

"...Do I have to? You know you could, like, go look it up or whatever."

Morgan frowned. "I… guess. But it seems a lot easier to just ask you a few questions and get retrospective insight than pour through lots of footage and hope some of it's useful."

Nik rolled his eyes, but Sera smiled. "Aww, c'mon, Nik. Morgan's great. I'm sure she wouldn't bother you too long."

He sighed heavily. "Whatever. Let's go, kid." He motioned for her to join him on the elevator.

"Uh… Would you rather go somewhere pub-"

"No."

"...Okay."

"I guess I'll get going then, but thanks so much." Sera closed the gap between herself and Nik again and leaned up to kiss his cheek, while he pulled her in a one-armed hug and kissed her forehead. ...Morgan was kind of done trying to make sense of Sera's actions or motives at this point. The younger girl then smiled and waved to Morgan, and chimed, "See you, guys~"

As soon as the elevator reached the top floor, her Nav powered down. Nik said since this was a strictly residential area owned by the League, the area was blacked out to offer privacy to those living there, making it a popular place to live for celebrities and even some League officials.

Contrasting that description, though, his own apartment was small and an absolute mess, and the array of smells was- not unbearable, but not pleasant either. "...Y-you know, if money's an issue I could pay for dinner or something."

Without missing a beat he snarked, "You seem nice and all, but I'm afraid I'm just not looking for a relationship right now."

Something in his glance her way suggested he was waiting for a laugh- or maybe just a reaction in general- but Morgan just replied flatly, "Not like that."

Frowning, he muttered, "You're no fun." Sighing, he flopped down on his couch. "But no. It's too late."

"I'm… pretty sure there are quite a few places open for another few-"

"I mean," he snipped back, "I don't like being out this late." When she didn't respond, he added, "The streets are too empty," as if that cleared anything up.

"...Right. So uh… Sera said you beat your challenge, right?" He nodded. "And what'd you get for it?"

"You're looking at it." Even as she started to react, he tacked on, "I _know_, okay? If you want better, you can move your happy ass to Fortree or Dewford or bumfuck nowhere. I had to live in Mauville, so this was the best I could get. But it's quiet and safe and no one bothers me anymore." Glancing away, he muttered, "Most days…"

"Huh." She wondered about that 'had to', but a better question came to mind. "I've heard Mauville is kind of overcrowded since they had to cancel… New Mauville, was it? Do you know anything about that? I tried looking into it a bit at lunch earlier but there don't seem to be many details available online."

He frowned. "Only what I've heard. A lot of in-fighting in the company, disagreements on progress versus preservation, and a lot of people put out of jobs when it went under. But that was… what, ten or eleven years ago since it completely stopped? I'd never even heard of Hoenn back then."

Her attention piqued. "So you're an outsider too?" He affirmed, and she asked, "How did you get here?"

"To be honest? I can't remember for the life of me. It felt like one minute I was reviewin' some boring-ass forms and the next I was being handed a Torchic and learning what Pokemon were."

That was… She imagined pressing the parallels would yield no results, so she asked, "But you decided to stay here?"

"...Honestly…" He looked around, despite having told her himself it was a blackout zone. "This might sound ridiculous, but I'm… not sure if you _can_ go back. Very few people here have heard of my homeland, and the information online is… well, limited, like you've seen. So I can't find any sort of world map or anything, and they're… I didn't push my luck when it came time to claim a reward, but they struck me as _very strongly encouraging_ players to stay in Hoenn." He sighed. "But I guess I'm okay. There are only like two people I miss back home anyway, and it got me out of a shitty job."

"I… see, sort of." Today was proving filled with all sorts of revelations. "Why Mauville, anyway?" She may as well.

"Because _fuck you_, that's why." At her bewildered expression, he flinched slightly and added. "Sorry, habit. The truth is, it's…" Quietly, he mumbled, "Indoors…"

"Huh?" Noting his white hair again, she asked, "Oh, can you not be out in the sun or-"

He cringed. "No that's not… Not that I don't also burn like crazy but it's… I can't… I can't go out there."

"Out… where?"

"_There._ Anywhere. Outside. I've _seen_ the fucked up horrors lurking out there, I paid my time, and I can't do it again." He raised his knees to his chest, balled up, looking away. As he did, a pile that Morgan his mistaken all this time for clothing suddenly perked up and unfurled, revealing a creature that seemed to be spliced between a mongoose and a half a dozen scarves. The creature wriggled her way under his arms, and he adjusted to scoop her up and latch on tight. "Good girl, Jas," he murmured into her fur.

"At… least you have your Pokemon?" Morgan attempted to offer.

"She's _all_ I have," he snapped. "She's all… she's the only one who… My Combusken, Manectric, Linoone… My little Eevee I never got to evolve. My _Smoochum_, my little girl… This Mienshao- my precious Jasna, my perfect partner..." He buried his face deeper against her, muffling: "She's the only one who made it. I am never-" He lifted his head enough to speak clearly again. "I _can't_ go back out there."

"I…" didn't know what to say. She did wonder if he'd ever Revived any of them, but that clearly wouldn't be a very sensitive question to ask now.

"Keeping her safe is… It's the only thing that's made any of this... They'll push you, kid. They'll break you. And when it's all done and the smoke clears, they'll treat you like a hero, for about a week. Then everyone moves on to the new idol of the month, the next big star. And all you can do is _pray_ that whatever you got was worth it. They had their fun and tossed us away, but if… If I can keep this roof over our heads, keep us fed, keep us _safe…"_

"...I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Hey. Do me a favor though? Don't… don't tell Sera about any of this…"

"Uh…" This kind of seemed like exactly the sort of thing she should already know, and should definitely be made aware of if she didn't?

"She thinks I'm doing fine, and she doesn't-... She doesn't understand how these Games really work. And… bless her stars, she just _might_ be strong enough to make it out okay. If she can play out her little fantasy without bursting the bubble she lives in, I want her to have the chance to do it. And if not, then… Well she's connected. Unlike most of us, they'll take care of _her_ when it's over. So just… Please don't break her if you don't have to." Morgan bit her lip, but finally nodded. "Thanks, kid."

Okay but she had to. "How _old_ are you, anyway?"

"...Twenty-one," he answered.

Oh wow, she didn't expect to be quite that spot-on. "We are literally the same age, apparently, so please don't call me kid."

He sniffed something that would have been a laugh if it didn't sound so dismissive, even borderline disgusted. "Come back in six months, _kid_, and I guarantee you you'll have aged ten years."

"I-... Okay, I guess."

Readjusting Jasna in his arms, he allowed himself to fall over into a laying position, and without looking to Morgan, he said, "I think I'm done. Sorry if you didn't get everything you wanted. Just lock the door on your way out."

"Oh…" She tried to think of anything else to say, and came up with an eloquent "...Kay." As she checked the lock, she looked back from the door and offered, "Sorry. Again?"

Nik still didn't look her way, but mustered just enough energy to flip her off.


	13. In Plain Sight

The following morning, Morgan looked over her map to weigh her options. She could plow straight ahead, but there were routes east and west as well. She couldn't head too far east yet, but she could possibly fish up a Pokemon. Meanwhile, the western path was entirely optional, but offered another catch opportunity as well as the chance to see a little town called Verdanturf, which she was almost certain was where Wally had moved.

Eventually, she opted for the latter. Along the way, she saw a super cute Pokemon Daycare. Though she couldn't think of any use it would serve her personally any time soon, seeing some of the different Pokemon people had left there proved briefly entertaining.

More notably, she: (a) caught a Surskit, which she decided to keep and name Maple, and (b) she stumbled across another Revive. At this point, Morgan wasn't sure whether their rarity was greatly exaggerated or she had inconceivable luck. Or… heh. Perhaps, since they allegedly just _appeared_ in _random_ places, they were actually a literal gift from this land's gods, and she had somehow earned divine favor.

Ha, yeah, okay.

Verdanturf was an idyllic paradise of a town if she ever saw one, at least for anyone who was attracted to a quiet country lifestyle. The gentle breeze smelled of the arrays of beautiful flower, yet she felt no hint of allergies. It was a shame Nik had grown to fear the outdoors in general, because everything about this place felt peaceful and safe, at least in Morgan's opinion.

Which also meant there was approximately nothing of interest to do, given she didn't see the point of Pokemon Contests and Wally apparently wasn't home, though his cousin said she'd tell him Morgan stopped by, which she hoped he'd appreciate anyway. Really, she probably could have turned around as soon as she caught Maple, but then she supposed she wouldn't have found the Revive, and so long as Sera hadn't gotten ahead of her-

Speak of the devil yet again? "Heya. You headed to Verdanturf?" It was sort of a rhetorical question given they were only about 50 yards outside the city limits, but starting conversation was not Morgan's forte.

"Hm?" Sera's eyes lit as she saw her. "Oh, hey! Yeah, I _just love_ the Contest scene, and while we're so close…" She _would_, wouldn't she. "Speaking of, you didn't happen to catch a Roselia, did you?" Morgan shook her head. "Dang. I guess the Nidoran I got off Wonder Trade is pretty cool, too, but Roselia would have been really nice for beauty contests."

"If you say so, I guess. Well uh… Good luck, then, I think?"

Sera giggled brightly. "Thanks~!"

It was mid afternoon when Morgan made it back to Mauville, and late afternoon by the time she'd stopped for dinner and made it across town, but that gave her plenty of time to head out to the shore and fish up a Magikarp, promptly traded for… a Skitty. And as much as she tried to convince herself that she had a lot of better options, something about that cute face gave Morgan the feeling she was going to end up using her anyway.

It seemed too late after that to head north yet, so Morgan turned in for the night and spent some time getting to know her two new teammates. Maple was quite sweet, and Morgan was excited to get another Water-type on her team. Skitty- who she held off on naming just yet since she wasn't sure if the original trainer had called her anything or not- was surprisingly ambitious. On one hand, Normal-types didn't seem very versatile, but on the other, Zuma. So who knew? Perhaps this little Skitty's determination would lead her to be a valuable ally.

* * *

Day… was it thirteen now? Or fourteen? Morgan was starting to lose track, and couldn't recall if the day she was thinking of as her "first day" was the first day _of her journey_ or her first day _in Hoenn_. Or, first she could remember, given she still didn't know how much time passed between showing up here and waking up in the van. The days on the boat also blurred together. It could have been slightly longer? She… probably could have looked at her records, but that seemed like way too much effort for something she didn't actually care that much about..

But all right, for convenience's sake she was going to say she'd been at this _roughly_ "two weeks" now. Leaving the largest city in Hoenn seemed like a good marker, so she may as well assign a significant number to it to help her remember.

So after give-or-take two weeks in her journey, this was all starting to feel pretty standard.

She left early, fought some trainers, no big deal.

She met a field reporter and a cameraman who insisted on a battle. Morgan couldn't imagine the point of this given her every move was already recorded, but she supposed the insight offered by an interviewer directly asking questions was something a little different for fans. Okay, no big deal.

She caught a Geodude hidden among some of the rocks along Route 111, and managed to trade it for a Weedle; kind of the opposite of a big deal.

As she grew closer to Mt. Chimney- really? She didn't know if that was the best or worst name for a volcano- she felt like maybe she should be a little more awed by it, but it still felt like no big deal.

All in all, it was a pretty uneventful day. She was nearly to the foot of the mountain, now, and it was getting dark. This was probably going to be her last battle of the-

Shit.

Rock-type Pokemon were weak to Water, right? Right! _Unfortunately_, she hadn't considered that _Bugs were weak to Rock_, and now Maple was dead. After only a day and a half of having her.

Morgan found herself more pissed than sad, even if some part of her felt bad for feeling that way. She considered reviving the Surskit, but….. Well, just because she'd had luck so far didn't mean it would persist. Maybe later, if she found more Revives. Sera said even literal fossils could be brought back, right? So she probably didn't have to bring back Maple right away to still, maybe, eventually, possibly do so...

So that certainly put a damper on the otherwise boring day. To add insult to injury, it was hot as balls out here, and Morgan could barely sleep for the sticky, suffocating heat.

* * *

What little sleep she got was cut short by a sudden uproar in the wee morning hours. She shot upright and scrambled out of her sleeping bag, finding Cerberus already on high alert, but they soon realized the commotion was actually a good way up the mountain.

Though she could see smoke rising- and not from the peak- and hear distant clamor and sounds of panic, she found herself confused for a few moments as to just what could have awoken her, until the sound she realized she'd heard in her sleep resounded once more, so loud it shook the the smaller stones around her: a deep, ear-splitting roar with a distinct sound of "KUUUU." This was followed by the far more distant sound of something exploding or perhaps just collapsing. Morgan couldn't imagine what could be making the roar to be so much louder, nor did she even want to think about how loud that must have been up close.

Whatever the case, she was very awake now, which meant she should probably either get as far away as she could or go try to help. As it turned out, the decision was made _for_ her just as she finished packing up camp, in the form of her Nav resounding with a sudden cacophony of different alert messages.

"RED ALERT: YOU ARE NOW IN A RESTRICTED-" one was crying. "THIS IS AN EMERGENCY NEWS BROADCAST" cried another. And of course between those, an incoming call began ringing. Cerberus doubled over in pain as he held his ears, while Mithril managed to add to the noise with pained screaming beeps of xir own as xe flailed wildly, beginning to attack a nearby boulder to vent.

Morgan nearly joined Cerberus, but to her indescribable relief, answering the call temporarily quieted the other sounds, though they continued on low volume _just_ enough to make the call a bit hard to understand.

"_Morgan!_" It was Genevieve. "Did you see the news?"

Gritting her teeth to try to cope with the noise, Morgan snapped, "You mean the news that _just_ started blaring at me? No, I haven't had the chance."

She audibly winced. "Just up the mountain from where you are, Team Aqua is attacking the cable car stations. So far no one's been seriously injured, and the League wants to keep it that way, so they're ordering all competitors and civilians to stay away at all costs. ...I- I'm sorry, I know you would have seen for yourself but I just… I had to make sure you weren't-... You're not hurt? Or thinking of doing anything stupid?"

Morgan fought the urge to sigh. She was very on-edge at the moment, but did appreciate the concern. As she listened to Genevieve, she jogged away from the mountain until, to her great relief, she finally got out of the restricted zone and the red alert stopped. She still heard the strange roar once in a while, but it seemed to be getting farther away.

"So, what? They just want the cable cars out of order?" Morgan finally asked.

"It… seems that way, I suppose. If they've given any motive it hasn't been reported yet. All we know is that it's a much larger scale attack than anything we've ever seen from them, and they- Some reports are claiming they have an extremely powerful unidentified Pokemon on their side. I know you've dealt with some of their peons before, but just… promise me you won't get involved in this. This is… different."

"I… Yeah, okay." But then that begged the question, "What now, though? Am I supposed to rock climb my way to Lavaridge or…?" Dammit all. She really _should_ have given up the extra night in a Center, or put off getting a Rt 118 Pokemon. She might've been to Lavaridge already if she'd left a little sooner. …._Or_, she might have opted to camp higher on the mountain last night and been caught square in the middle of all this. Morgan supposed there was no sense dwelling either way now.

But Genevieve answered, "No, I don't think so. From what they're saying, Leader Mura is being dispatched to deal with the situation, so the Gym may be closed for a few days anyway."

"They're… sending a Fire-type user to deal with Team _Aqua_?"

"I _know_," Genevieve snapped; it was not a sound of agreement. "If everyone would stop fucking-" She bit her tongue. "Apologies, dear. It's just every other person seems to be making the same comment right now, but as a Leader's wife, it's… _trying_, to see everyone doubting the League's decision like this. Mura is a former Elite, and he's the closest Leader. We just… need to have faith that he can handle the situation."

"I… see. Sorry." The emergency news broadcast in the background was finally ending now, and the sounds from the mountain were growing more scarce. Was Mura there now, Morgan wondered? "But so, should I just…?"

"Mm…" There was a pause before she said, "Let me make a few phone calls. In the meantime, Sera should be headed your way. Backtrack until you meet with her. If something does happen, you'll be safer together."

For once, Morgan couldn't seem to muster any protest to being around her rival. She simply nodded and answered, "Yeah. We'll do that." She turned then to make sure Cerberus and Mithril both seemed okay now, and together they headed back to the southeast.

* * *

When Sera and Morgan's paths finally crossed, the younger girl was just standing and staring out Mt. Chimney. "Hey!" Morgan called, snapping Sera out of her reverie. "Are… you okay?"

"Uh… Y-yeah, I guess…" Sera pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself even though it really was too hot for it here. She stared at the ground. "Just… Being this close… It's like a punch in the gut, ya know?"

The pause felt a little too long before Morgan said, "Yeah, I can see how it would be." When Sera gave her a look between questioning and concerned, Morgan clarified, "I mean… I guess it's a little scarier to me not knowing all the details than just knowing they attacked some property, and it seems like it's settled down now. I've… seen a lot worse back home, so I guess it doesn't really.. _register_ as much to me?"

As Sera's eyes fell to Morgan's dog tags, she replied, "R-right. I guess I do forget about that. Not that you've really talked about it, but I guess we haven't talked a lot in general, have we…. Heh."

Morgan shrugged. "I tend to focus more on the present and the future than the past. I can't say I never feel weird about the fact that I block things out so well, but… Well, it's gotten me this far in one piece, so I find it hard to complain, too."

Sera shook her head. "No, that's fair. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with… things." She sighed, but then added, "Speaking of everyone. How are these guys-"

_Everything_, she heard Mithril whispering to xirself. _... could be ours. … end… everything according to … Open it up. Release it. … not defy it. … Open. … everything before us._

Though she could only catch about half xir words, the others mumbled too quietly to make out, the hair on Sera's neck stood on end. It almost made it worse that Mithril didn't seem to be speaking _to_ anyone, just mumbling, whispering, over and over… "I-... Has Mithril been okay this morning?"

"Hm? Xe freaked out pretty badly when the Nav started going off, but xe's been fine since everything quieted down, I think. Xe didn't like the alarms when- well, a thing happened toward the beginning of our journey and I accidentally set them off. So I think xe just doesn't like loud noise in general." Morgan shrugged. "Something in common I guess."

"...Oh."

… Morgan took on a skeptic look. "Wwwhy do you ask?"

"O-oh, xe just… seems…"

_Xe's always like this now,_ Cerberus offered.

"What?" Cerberus repeated, and Sera asked, "...Now?"

_Since Dewford, I guess. I stopped asking about it. Xe can be pretty cool sometimes if you can just ignore it, though. Like xe's creepy, but more fun than when xe used to be all quiet._

"Uh… huh."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "What are they saying?"

Sera sighed. "I'm not-wha'd'you mean?" she suddenly shifted, and Morgan just raised an eyebrow. … Right. It wasn't like Sera ever made an effort to be subtle. "I guess the real question is, are you going to believe me?"

Morgan shrugged. "Maybe not, but it probably wouldn't be the weirdest thing in this-"

Their conversation was cut off by the sound of Morgan's Nav beeping. It was Genevieve calling back. "Ah, good, Sera's with you. So I got an answer back."

In many more words, Genevieve explained that the girls's restricted area map had been reduced _just_ enough to allow them to pass through the Fiery Path that ran well under Mt. Chimney, so long as they stayed low, stayed together, and made a point to get through as quickly as possible. There had been discussion of putting their journey on hold, but it was decided that they were too high profile, too popular with viewers at the moment, and that in the wake of such a scare Hoenn needed something to keep their minds off of it.

So for now, the girls were being redirected to Fallarbor Town until Lavaridge was deemed safe. This would give them more opportunities to build up their teams, as well as affording the opportunity for a bit of an unusual endeavor with two rivals getting to spend more time than usual together.

There was supposed to be a local professor- a prominent researcher- studying properties of meteorites and how they may relate to Mega Evolution, so the chance of obtaining that power would have been reason enough for the detour. However, they were also given the errand while there to personally extend Devon's invitation to him. Apparently, the man hadn't responded to the last two emails and never answered calls, so… Well, it was more of a job for Sera, really, given she had some clout outside these ridiculous Games, but having Morgan along could hardly hurt.

For safety's sake, however, their broadcasting was continuing to be postponed until tomorrow morning. For that matter, most Nav systems would be offline for the duration. The internal GPS would still be working, but they were encouraged to refrain from activity as much as possible, lest someone outside of Devon pick up their signals.

Once everything was settled and the call ended, Morgan piped, "So question. Are the Games _always_ Bread and Circuses, or is that just an extra bonus sometimes?"

Sera could only blink and tilt her head. "Bread and… circuses? I don't think I get the reference."

Morgan shook her head. "Nevermind. We'd better get going."

Sera nodded. "Yeah… All right."

Over the course of the day as they trekked back toward and through the mountain, they spent a lot of time in silence, and often spread out somewhat to do their own things, but were careful to never leave the other's line of sight, at least no further than around an immediate corner. Mithril continued to unnerve Sera, but to her relief, as soon as she started to mention something to Morgan, her rival was kind enough to recall the Pokemon without pressing questions, even if she did seem a little annoyed by it.

Flash and Cerberus both stayed out with their trainers, and bickered most of the day, but Sera found that much somewhat comforting. It really was uncanny how similar their personalities were, and though their banter was heated, it seemed mostly in good nature.

Morgan caught a Machop which she planned to Wonder Trade, but it seemed it would have to wait until tomorrow, as the PC transport was working, but none of the social services were, save for emergency numbers.

Meanwhile, Sera fought a trainer with a Taillow… and defeated it with Pelt the Nuzleaf. Easily. Afterward, she found herself sighing. "Have you gotten to the point where you feel like type match-ups are just a formality against most people?"

Morgan blinked. "I mean… Being able to _do_ it without them doesn't mean they don't _help…_"

"Yyyeah… But I do wish more trainers made me feel like battling _you _does..." She smiled weakly at Morgan, who didn't seem to know what to make of that statement; her confusion, in turn, made Sera chuckle. "I just mean… You actually give me a challenge. Not many other trainers have so far, and… Considering I joined these Games to try to prove how good a trainer I can be, I guess I'm doing that, but it's sort of… underwhelming, you know?"

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather head up than inside, then?"

Sera cringed. "N-no… I'm not… going to push my luck that hard…"

A little way into Fiery Path, a wild Numel decided to block their path. Since Morgan took the previous wild encounter, Sera took this one. And since it was the first in the tunnel, she thought paralysis might help make it easier to capture, switching out Flash for Pikachu.

"Thunder Wave," Sera ordered.

Pikachu reflexively moved to comply, then paused to give Sera a questioning look before going ahead and doing so. But why the hesi- SHIT.

Sera remembered too late that Thunder Wave was negated by Numel's Ground typing same as any offensive Electric move. And Pikachu was no match for the Magnitude.

As Sera called out to her, tears welling up, Pikachu turned to her with a weak smile. With her dying breath, she said, _It's okay…_

Sera could not _believe_ she'd made such an amateur move- but the battle was still going. Wiping her eyes, she sent in Zuma, who looked from Pikachu's body to Sera in a brief moment of bewilderment before focusing on the battle.

Sera was able to capture the Numel, at least, and held no direct resentment against him for his part in the death. This was entirely her own fault, after all. All the same, she felt she was likely to Wonder Trade him once able, between what negative association there was and her already having such a reliable Fire-type. She sat staring at her Nav for at least a solid minute, considering whether or not to name him.

… Actually? If she could blame anyone, it should be Team Aqua, shouldn't it. It was _their_ fault her mind wasn't entirely in the game today. And if Team Aqua's goal was to… what, flood the earth? What could the volcano's cable cars possibly have to do with that? Whatever. She just knew that whatever they stood for, she wanted to be against it. And looking at the little volcanic Ground-type's entry now, she found herself- ….they didn't usually check registered nicknames so long as they didn't flag any vulgar words, right? Slowly, she typed the name "Expand Land". Whoever got it was likely to call it someone else, she knew, but if she could send that subtle message to someone, it would be worth it.

Of course, now there was the matter of- "Where's Pikachu?"

_Hm?_ asked Zuma.

"...Morgan? Did you see where- Morgan?"

"Huh? Sorry, another Numel came up so I was catching it. What did you say?"

"Did-... Did you see where Pikachu- where…" Sera bit her lip and corrected, "Where Pikachu's _body_ went?"

"Oh no, did you lose her?" … In more ways than one, apparently.

_Oh no!_ said Zuma sadly. _What could have happened_? Sera took another look around, then held her aching head for a few seconds. _Does this mean… you won't be able to revive her? But.. What ever will I do without Pika-chan? She and I were supposed to do all the cuteness contests together! Does this mean that now I'll have to do them… allll by myself?_

Sera's headache suddenly grew worse as she opted to ignore how scripted that sounded. "Hang on," she muttered. "I think… Yeah, okay. I'm not sure what she's hidden under or behind-" she bit the inside of her mouth as she dryly seethed "or _who_ could have put her there…- but she's still in the Nav sensor's range." A few button presses, and… "There."

Zuma seemed a little shaken. _O-oh! Good! ….S-so, are you going to revive her after all…?_

Sera sighed. "No, not right away I don't think. That was a _stupid_ move on my part, switching her into a Ground opponent, but.. I don't think she really liked battling anyway. Maybe if I'm able at the end of all this, I'll bring her back just for contests. Until then, though, I think…" She sighed more heavily.

Quietly, she heard Morgan mumbling, "So much for types being a formality." Sera's bewildered glared threatened to move the very mountain above them, and Morgan cringed before offering, "S-sorry, that was. Not in good taste."

"I just-... Whatever." Sera recalled Zuma, and replaced her with Tank: a nice, _calm, friendly_ Pokemon who was also unlikely to die to anything here.

As they continued through the tunnel, they had a few more tough battles. Once, Morgan nearly lost Manowar, but he barely pulled through, pushing himself up when Sera had been _sure_ that attack would finish him, and both Navs confirming he was only _just_ clinging to life. All the same, he used that bit of determination to deliver a finishing blow to his opponent instead, and evolved into a Tentacruel for the effort, the energy that accompanied his evolution leaving him still very weak, but in far better shape than he was. Sera didn't have many potions left, but she definitely had to offer him one for such an astounding feat and as congratulations for his evolution.

Though there were only a few major events, and most of them very early, by the time they found themselves nearing the end of the tunnel, it had been a very, very long day.

With some luck, they'd still have a little time to distance themselves more from the mountain before setting up camp, and Sera sincerely hoped nothing of consequence happened to them between here and there.

Those hopes were dashed immediately.

Just ahead, at the tunnel's exit- or entrance, depending on perspective- a rather heavyset man in a lab coat appeared, intently focused on some device in his hands and muttering to himself irritably. Perhaps if they just stayed out of his way they could pass with minimal acknowle-

He suddenly looked up to them. _Oh c'mon_, Sera mentally griped.

"Hyuh? What do you think you're doing in here?" he demanded.

"I-" Sera found herself suddenly tongue-tied.

"Just passing through," Morgan shrugged. "Going to see a man about some rocks, I think."

"... Hnnn." He squinted skeptically.

"I guess we could ask you the same though?"

Sera looked him over again, then leaned to Morgan to tell her, "I- I think that's a Devon coat actually."

"Oh. … Okay then." Since no one else seemed to be talking, Morgan went on. "So, yeah, we were actually just leaving, so-"

"Wait… I know you two." He moved closer, and leaned in a bit to get a better look, looking each of them over in turn.

All the while, Sera's mind was nervously racing, especially when his eyes were on her. Though he dressed the part of a Devon researcher, she couldn't actually imagine _why_ he would be way out here right now, and there was something distinctly menacing about his demeanor. ...Also, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about the fact that he must have been at least twice her size. Morgan, however, seemed mildly uncomfortable at worst.

"What kind of rocks, did you say?" he asked.

"M-meteorites?" Sera squeaked.

"I see… We at Devon have been looking into them, recently, as well."

"Probably why your bosses picked that for us," Morgan observed. "With any luck, we'll be helping you get in touch with a Professor… What was it? Cosmic?"

"Cozmo," said Sera.

"That's.. only _barely_ less ridiculous for an astronomer," Morgan muttered, but Sera shooshed her.

The scientist's face twisted in disgust. "Not _Raizoh_ Cozmo?"

"Uh- N-no, I think…" Sera could probably think a little clearer if he wasn't quite so close but she refused to take a step back herself so... "Ta… Takao, wasn't it?" Morgan shrugged.

But the man's face softened thoughtfully now. "... Interesting." Finally leaning back, he smiled smugly. "Very well, kiddies. You'd better be on your way, then."

"Why does everyone insist on calling me a kid," Morgan sighed.

"...I'm-... _almost _eighteen," Sera mumbled in turn, pouting slightly.

The man gave her another glance over, then sniffed a quiet laugh along with a look Sera wasn't sure if she should classify as a smirk or a sneer. "Run along," he said, rather flatter. He moved past them then, and as he headed deeper into the tunnel, Sera and Morgan finally headed out.

Once she was quite certain they were well out of earshot, Sera glanced around awkwardly before asking "D-did-.. um... did you see his eyes?"

"Huh?" Morgan took a moment to re-process the question before answering, "Oh. No, I avoid eye contact more often than not."

"...Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

"N-.." Well she couldn't very well say 'no reason', could she, because then she wouldn't have asked. "They were just uh… Very red…"

Morgan glanced her way and blinked. "..So? Your eyes are red."

"_I _know!" Sera said a little too quickly. ...Oh, good job. That didn't sound dumb at all. "I just uh-... I… really like red eyes… is all…"

Morgan deadpanned. "... Sera."

"Huh?"

"... _Sera._"

"What?"

Morgan rubbed a temple, and Sera couldn't tell if she seemed more amused or annoyed. "Are you trying to say you thought he was good-looking?"

"... I-..." Her face heated. "I dunno… m-..maybe a little? In.. more of a 'cute' than 'handsome' way, but…"

Morgan shook her head. "Wow."

"_What?_"

"_Wow…_" Her rival chuckled. "Serious question: is there anyone you _don't_ find attractive?"

"I-!" Sera's face was getting close to matching her hair now. "I.. have pretty varied tastes. I'm pan, if that's what you're asking."

"...Nice to confirm, but no, I was asking if you can talk to someone under 30 for more than ten seconds without crushing on them."

"..."

….

"..."

…?

"...They don't have to be under 30."

Morgan's sudden laugh was so genuine- and so much less bitter than Sera would have expected- that Sera didn't even know if she could stay upset about this. "Oh my gods…" After a little continued laughing, though, she finally said, "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything."

"...Really?" Sera did her best to sound sarcastic, but it was a genuine question.

"N-no, I mean… Okay. Maybe a _little_, in a hard-time way, but not like… genuinely shaming or anything." She chuckled a bit more. "This just explains a lot."

"...Wha'd'you mean?"

Morgan shook her head. "It's nothing. I just think I read way too much into some stuff is all."

Sera tried not to let her flinch be too obvious. "I-... It's not-"

"No, it's fine." Sera spun to look at her, and Morgan went on. "I wasn't sure how to take some of the teasing and stuff before, but as long as I _know_ it's not _serious_, I don't really mind it."

"... You-..." What were words? Who knew? Not Sera.

"Sorry if that ruins the fun or whatever, though." Morgan shrugged. "Or.. I dunno. If you still want to, I could play along for the cameras? It might be fun getting to actually do some acting if I'm gonna have people watching every waking moment either way."

. . . . Sera forced a light laugh. "I mean, if you're sure you don't mind. _Sure~_ We can _totally_ do that." Putting on her best coy grin, she added, "I warn you, though, I'm a _really_ good actress~"

Morgan rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Just don't go too far without some kind of warning and I think I'll be okay. And maybe keep it more verbal than physical most of the time."

"Ahaha~! Can do, pal!" Yup. She could totally handle this. It was just casual, everyday permission to super duper fake flirt extra fake-ly with her ultra platonic rival who she definitely wasn't _really_ interested in at all, because having lots of crushes _totally_ made each one less sincere, that was _definitely_ how all of this worked.

Thank Arceus it was about time to set up camp, because Sera very, very much needed to lie down.

* * *

_Are you sure you're okay?_ Tank asked. Sera nodded. … _I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt your feelings._ She nodded more slowly, hoping it was clear it was in agreement and not to say 'yes she did'.

_Clearly, she just has awful taste_, Flash shrugged. _Not that I can imagine what you'd see in her anyway. Someone a bit __**cooler**_ _seems more your __**speed**__. _He waggled his brows, and Sera stifled a laugh as she rolled her eyes affectionately, causing Flash to pout slightly.

Pelt touched his mouth, then looked to Sera questioningly. Sera returned the look.

_I think he's asking why you're not talking, _guessed Tank.

Sera couldn't help but smile that _Pelt_ would be the one to question, but she gestured toward the walls of the tent, then touched her ears. She didn't know whether Morgan was asleep yet or not, but overhearing Sera talking would be far more incriminating than hearing the Pokemon. The three Pokemon she'd opted to keep for company each nodded in understanding.

… _H..hey…_ started Tank, more somber now. _Did… you tell Wings about Pikachu yet?_ Sera bit the inside of her mouth, but nodded once.

_Oh man… How did he take it?_ asked Flash. Sera shrugged, then sighed heavily. There was little telling with him. Either he was pissed at Pikachu for dying or Sera for letting it happen or Sera for thinking he'd care. She may never know.

Pelt moved to sit next to Sera, placing his small hand on hers and offering a comforting squeeze. Sera did her best to smile in response.

After a brief silence, Flash waved a hand dismissively. _Hey, it's fine. We can fix it when we win the game, right? So no sense dwelling on it now. It's like Sera's said all along, as long as we do well, any danger we're in is just temporary. It's just a game, right?_

… Sera nodded with a light "Hm.." of agreement. She knew she might not be able to bring back _every_ Pokemon if she ended up losing too many, but Pikachu was only her third. It was maybe a _little_ more dangerous a game than she'd led them all to believe, but as long as she was good enough, it didn't have to be.

_Yeah… I guess you're right_, Tank agreed.

_And when am I not~?_ asked Flash with a smirk. Sera stifled a laugh, and the remainder of their conversation until falling asleep took a rather more pleasant tone.

* * *

Morgan thought for a moment she may have awoken before Cerberus for a change, but as she processed the feeling of his cool neck against hers, she had to wonder if he'd just cuddled up to her in the night or if he fell back asleep while waiting for his normal trick to wake her. Either way was adorable, and she couldn't resist lying there to pet him for a bit until he finally awoke as well. "C'mon, cuddlebug," she teased. "We should wake Sera and get going."

To her surprise, Morgan had time to pack all her things including her tent before Sera awoke. Rattling Sera's tent a bit, she called, "Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

Then she had time to get breakfast ready, and still no sign of her rival. Against her better judgement, Morgan unzipped the tent door enough to peak in. "Hey, you o-"

Given how hot it was here, she really shouldn't have been surprised that Sera had kicked off her blankets in the night, though if heat was the issue, using a Combusken like a teddy bear didn't seem like the best idea.

And given their limited wardrobes on top of the heat, sleeping in underwear was an entirely practical choice, though Morgan could not begin to fathom why anyone would opt to bring such lacey, fashionable lingerie over something more practical on such an extended venture into the wilderness.

And if neither of these things was quite awkward enough, the tiny yawn as Sera pulled back her mess of hair to squeak "I'm awake" in such a small voice absolutely was.

Morgan zipped the tent back up and went back to her food quietly, refusing to believe there was any chance she was blushing. Ha… hahaha… No. Wow, no. Morgan had very definitively decided that she wasn't interested, and had finally been able to clarify that Sera was in agreement. Obviously, she just felt awkward about this situation in general. _That's_ what this feeling was. Just awkwardness. Of course.

By the time Sera finally emerged, Morgan had thankfully calmed down.

"Sorry I overslept a bit. I think I really needed it, though." As she began to fold up her tent, Sera asked, "Are the Nav systems up yet?"

"Oh hey, I almost forgot." Morgan pulled hers out to check.

"_This is Navalie, your personal PokeNav assistant. Scheduled maintenance on the Devon servers is expected to end in: Approximately. Two. Hours. Thank you for your patience._"

Morgan barked a laugh. "Scheduled maintenance, huh. Yeah okay."

They finally got camp cleaned up and set out, then.

Sera was still a little groggy, and Morgan was hardly complaining about the peaceful silence, but it wasn't too long before they saw someone ahead in the road. Another trainer, perhaps? Or even another sponsor's competitor. Whatever the case, he looked in rougher shape than most, but not too-

As the man spotted them, he quickly ducked behind the nearest tree, because that wasn't suspicious at all. "Uh…" started Morgan.

As he peeked out, his sunken gray eyes suddenly lit. "Wait, it's you!"

"Uh… Me?" asked Sera. "Er… her, us?"

"You!" he repeated just as vaguely. He stayed mostly hidden, but beckoned for them to approach, even as he fidgeted and mumbled to himself. When they did not comply, he added, "C'mere! I have something to show you!"

"... Oh...kay, creepy man in the bushes. We're just gonna-"

"You're competitors, I'm sure of it! Please, this is worth your time."

… Morgan sighed. "Be on guard," she muttered to Sera, but together they approached.

Once all three trainers stood under the large tree, he stepped out to allow them their first good look at him: tall but frail, barely more than skin and bones, with a gaunt face and deep circles under his pale eyes. His hair was only just long enough to tie _most_ of it out of his face, but his beard was as ragged and unkempt as his tattered clothing. A wide-brimmed hat shadowed his face worse than his features already did, and-

"Okay I'll ask," began Sera. "Why are you just _carrying_ such a huge coat?"

"...B-because I need it to stay incognito, but it's too hot to wear it here and it won't fit in my bag." Looking her over, he asked in sudden bewilderment, "How can you stand to wear that cloak out here?"

"I literally wore this the entire way through Fiery Path," Sera answered. "I like the heat, and I _really_ like this cloak."

"Huh." He chuckled. "Riiight, you're the native one, aren't you? This whole region's too hot for me, but I guess I never did grow out of my Unova roots. It stays a lot colder there, you know."

Though the name meant nothing to Morgan, Sera seemed intrigued. "Oh! You're from Unova? What brings you to Hoenn?"

Growing serious, he answered, "Your Game."

"...Hm? I don't think I've seen-..."

"Name's Aarune. Twenty-five years old, and I've spent the last eleven trying to find myself." Giving them just a moment to do the math, he went on, "That's right. I was only fourteen when they brought me here. Said it was a golden opportunity. Said an orphan like me didn't have any ties anyway. Turned out people did start asking questions. Weren't so sure about kids from familiar places being put through the gauntlet." He turned to Morgan. "Then they started getting folks like you. Older kids, young adults. Sob stories from places no one never heard of. Folks like that more."

As much as Morgan was interested in hearing about the early Games- or he made it sound early; were they really that new? And why did that number sound familiar?- she could see well enough where he was headed, and she'd promised to shelter Sera from that. "Dude," she interrupted. "Aarune, was it? We didn't ask for a history lesson here."

"Oh?" He seemed legitimately surprised for a moment, then brushed it off with a friendly, "Bet your heart did!"

"...Right. Uh. Anyway, you wanted to show us… something?"

. . . "Oh! Right, yes! Do you know what's special about this spot?" He looked at them with an anticipation that made Morgan suspect they were supposed to have a clue.

"Uh…"

"It's a Secret Spot!" . . . "Guess I should explain. You!" He pointed at Sera now, and she pointed at herself questioningly in turn. "You know what Secret Spots are, don'tcha?" Even as she started to try to answer, he went on, "You led your friend here to a weak one the other day, didn't ya? Isn't that where I recognize you from?"

"... Oh, I- Is it a place where the broadcast gets weak? Is there a name for that?"

"There is in my Guild!" Aarune declared. "There's spots where it's weak… and there's spots where it's flat-out dead! This whole area around here, about twenty to thirty yards in any direction, you'll find them fancy Navs don't work so well."

"I mean they're not working at all at the moment but-"

He ignored them. "But right here! Here under this tree, and up _inside_, is a true bonafied Secret Spot- a place to hide, a place you can be _safe_, just so long as you don't make the mistake of staying too long and gettin' 'em suspicious. If you've got anything you don't want the suits at Devon or your sponsors to know about, this is the sort of place you wanna stash it."

"... You know my sponsor is my dad, right," Sera said flatly.

"... What."

Morgan cringed a little for both sides. "Yyyeah, do you just go blabbing your Super Secret Information to everyone, or…? Because that doesn't seem like a very sound-"

"N-no!" he declared. "I knew you were competitors, I thought you'd be-" He began fidgeting and mumbling to himself again, something about mistakes and what to do.

Sera sighed heavily. "Just- What are you aiming to achieve here, anyway?"

"I-I- I just, I try to help," he stammered. "I don't, I can't go- I don't want them in my life again and I've-"

"..._You're_ responsible for every competitor that's mysteriously dropped out of the Games, aren't you?" Sera accused now. But as Aarune started to grow defensive, Sera forced herself to calm down. "Okay, no, hang on. Just… Please tell me they left of their own accord, and that you didn't-..."

"Of course not!" Aarune exclaimed. "All I've ever done is give folks resources. A way out, when they decide it's too much. A network, a safety net. Hell, a bunch of 'em stay on as members of my Guild to help me out; I see 'em all the time. Even _you've_ gotta know once you start a Game, there's no way out but to finish it, right?"

Sera winced. "I… Y-yeah.. I guess I never.. gave that much thought. I knew it could get stressful but-" She sighed heavily. "All right, so you just…?"

"I map Secret Spots, give competitors a way out, if they want it. Me and my pals, my guildmates, we find places like this and fix 'em up. Look."

He pulled out a small device then, not quite as intricate-looking as a Nav, and punched a few buttons to make it produce an odd sound. When it did, a rope fell from the tree, and Aarune immediately began climbing it. Against their better judgment, Morgan and Sera followed at his request… and found a surprisingly comfortable treehouse, which had been completely concealed from the ground.

"See?" he said.

"This.. does seem like a better sort of place to camp," Morgan admitted, and Sera had to agree. "So… What does it take to be in your so-called Guild, anyway?"

Aarune shook his head. "Only dedication to the cause. I can give you both your own phones, equipped with Secret Power to help you locate nearby bases and register on our private network any you claim for yourself. You're free to crash in any empty base or any claimed one the owner allows overnight, and you're welcome to stash or take stuff from community stores, but please don't claim more than one at a time as actually-yours. Helps keep things nice and fair." The girls nodded. "All we need from you is a few promises:

"1. Never tell anyone affiliated with Devon or the League about our Guild. … Present company _apparently_ excluded," he grumbled. "So long as you can promise you'll be the _only_ exception. Ain't never heard of a kid like you doubling as a competitor, though, so I'm putting a lot of faith in you, you got that?" Sera nodded nervously.

"2. There's a small light here-" he pointed to his own phone- "that will tell you if you're anywhere in the vague range of a Secret Spot. If it's not lit, don't use it. And if you're not inside a base, don't make any calls to anyone. It's the only way our secrets can stay safe.

"And 3. If you ever cross paths with other struggling competitors, be sure to refer them to the Guild in Fortree or tell them to look for Aarune, and do your best to look out for them and each other. We're all in this together."

"Got it," said Morgan.

"I…" Sera swallowed. "I'm not really sure about all this, but…" She took a deep breath. "As long as it's all by choice and just for privacy, then if Morgan trusts you, I do too. I… I promise."

"Great," Aarune said, visibly relieved. "In that case…" He pulled out two phones even simpler in design than his own, and extended them to Sera and Morgan. "Welcome to the Guild of Secrets."


	14. Escalation

After parting ways with Aarune, the rest of the day was almost entirely uneventful.

There were a few pleasant conversations, and a few mildly awkward ones. A very few other trainers were traveling the route, but the ones there were did offer a scant few battles.

Once Cerberus and Flash started to get into a fight, leading Morgan and Sera to decide they would have to alter which one got to be out at a time for a while, but after one rotation each they both promised to behave and begged to stay out again. They… _mostly_ kept their promise, at least. The girls debated whether to just let them and have another rival battle, but they agreed that while on their little detour, it was probably better to make sure both stayed at the tops of their respective games, just in case.

Toward sunset, they came across an adorable bed-and-breakfast run by a sweet old lady, and opted to stop there for the night rather than push on any later.

"Will that be… two rooms, then?"

Though the woman didn't say it, Morgan thought a slight 'or' hung on that question. With a touch of faux drama, she sighed and responded, "I _suppose_, if we _must…_"

Blushing, Sera stuttered, "Y-you'll live."

Morgan chuckled. She hadn't expected Sera to be so easy to fluster, but she was quite enjoying being on the other end of this teasing dynamic, as it turned out. "Oh hey, you wanna do our Wonder Trades before we turn in?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure, why not?"

"Wooobbu-"

"Don't." Ugh Morgan almost forgot about that reference/joke. Still, trading sounded good. It would add a little more content to today's 'highlight episode' too. So they found a seat in what served as a small 'lobby' area.

Morgan went first then, trading her Numel for- "I swear to all the gods of both our lands if I get another Zigzagoon."

Sera just laughed, then traded hers. "Ooh! A Trapinch! I think I'll actually use that!"

"Gratz." So now Morgan's Machop, and- "Ohmygods it's a poodle this is amazing."

Sera gave a more confused laugh. "A what?" She leaned over to look at Morgan's screen. "Oh nice, it's a Furfrou. Those are pretty popular and rare in Hoenn."

"It's a dogsheep is what it is." Not to be confused with a sheep dog, obviously. "I can't decide if I think it's beautiful or ridiculous but I love it."

"Worth all the Zigzagoon?"

Morgan shrugged. "Ehhh, that remains to be seen." Looking to Sera, she asked, "You got any more?"

"Mm, no, I didn't catch anything before Fiery Path yesterday…" As she browsed her storage on her Nav, though, she suddenly- "Oh! I have this Makuhita from Granite Cave. I was going to use her eventually, but I never did, so I guess she's actually still viable to trade."

"Oh huh. I guess that makes sense; good to know. Which one is Makuhita, again?" She looked back to the Nav- and suddenly covered her mouth in a failed attempt to stifle her snicker.

"...What is it?"

"It looks-" Morgan shook her head. "No, I shouldn't."

"You can't just-" Morgan tried again to decline, but Sera pressed again.

"It looks… like the guy from Fiery Path," she managed.

"What? That's so mean. No it-" Sera looked down, and grew quieter, and redder. "... Sweet merciful Arceus."

Morgan's snicker grew to a full-on laugh. "_Geez_, Sera, I didn't know your tastes were _that_ varied."

"Oh gods no." Sera set her Nav in her lap and hid her face in her hands. Even as she did so, Flash sidled up in the seat beside her, making a noise Morgan thought sounded vaguely suggestive. Sera cringed and squeaked before pushing him off the couch, Flash landing on the floor with a thump. "_Now_ look what you did, _don't encourage him_," she whined to Morgan.

Morgan only found this more hilarious.

"I- I'm trading this before you guys get worse." Picking her Nav back up, she selected the Makuhita within her storage and shipped it off. As the noise sounded to inform them a Pokemon had been received, though, Sera just stared for a few seconds before slowly putting the Nav down and staring at the wall.

"...What is it?" Morgan asked. She picked up Sera's Nav… and saw a Pichu. "...Oh. … Uh. Sorry… again. Do you… wanna head to bed now, or?"

Sera sighed. "Sorry, no. I mean, maybe in a minute, but.. I'm okay. It just caught me a little off-guard is all." She smiled lightly and took her Nav back.

"All right. … You don't, like, want to trade it or anything do you? I'm not sure if there's anything of mine you'd want, but if you'd feel weird having a Pichu right now..?"

Sera considered it a moment, but shook her head. "Nah. One thing about my Pikachu was that she was pretty set on never evolving since she thought she was cuter like she was. If I ever get around to training this one, I might be able to get a Raichu, so that would be something."

"Ah. Yeah okay."

"Though hey. I know we've discussed trading with each other a few times and haven't really done so yet, but whenever you want to evolve Kitsun, just let me know."

Morgan stared blankly. "...When I want to what now?"

"Evolve Kitsun," Sera repeated. "I mean, since Kadabra evolve by trading- or by the energy given off by passing through the system or whatever- and we can freely trade as much as we want with each othe-"

"Why the hell did you not tell me this a week ago?"

Sera blinked curiously. "You didn't kn-" Morgan's deadpan leer cut off that question. "Right. Sorry. ...For what it's worth, Kadabra does learn more moves than Alakazam, so waiting was probably a good idea anyway."

"Oh," said Morgan. "...Yeah, okay. I guess his moves have gotten quite a bit better. They seem pretty good to me now, though?"

Sera nodded. "And there are TMs too. ... Sssso uh, since it's as good as anything, wanna take my Pichu for about ten seconds to trade Kitsun back and forth?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

* * *

The following morning, they set out down Route 113, which was apparently the perfect location usually-downwind of the volcano to be an absolute fucking nightmare. Hopefully this would be over quickly.

Sera caught a Spinda, which she traded for an Octillery. As soon as the Pokemon appeared on her screen, she squealed with delight. "Oh my gods it's so squishy and soft and red and I am absolutely using thissss." And actually, since Pikachu was technically still taking party space when she'd caught the Numel, and the Spinda was now the first Pokemon she'd caught since sending her off, Octillery was already in her party. "Hell yesssssss."

… Morgan smirked. "So what you're saying is-"

"I swear on every god you vaguely acknowledge, if you make a tentacle joke and ruin this for me I will destroy you." Morgan laughed, but refrained.

A few minutes later, Morgan's DexNav beeped. "Mm?" She pulled it out and used the radar until she saw the Pokemon it was picking up on- a huge, gorgeous metallic bird who was digging through a pile of ash that had accumulated on the ground.

Carefully, Morgan tiptoed toward it. Those huge wings had her a little worried, but as long as it stayed distracted, and she was very, very qui-

With her eyes darting solely between the Nav and the Skarmory, Morgan promptly _tripped over_ a Sandshrew, getting her clothes covered in soot as she landed, and drawing Skarmory's attention. Worse, the Sandshrew scrambled to its feet and took a defensive stance, making _it_ the first Pokemon to 'confront' her this route. "Oh for the love of…"

Fortunately, she was able to capture it with ease. Less fortunately, the Skarmory didn't just fly away; it perched on a nearby house's rooftop and squawked at her in what Morgan was _certain_ was meant to be a mocking laugh.

She sighed heavily. "Well, maybe Wonder Trade will be kind."

It was a Spinda.

"Are you SERIOUS?" a voice called in distant earshot.

… "Did you just get a Sandshrew?" Morgan yelled back.

There was a brief pause, then Morgan heard laughter in the same direction, causing her to laugh as well. All the trainers in all the world and she gets matched to one a hundred yards away. _Brilliant._

As they continued down the route, another Sandshrew eventually attacked, but Morgan had little patience for battles now that her capture quota was met, so to push through as quickly as possible, she just had Cerberus use his Mega Drain-

And found herself a little shocked when he began to glow.

A gasp and a "Morgan!" were heard from behind her, while before her, her partner grew until he stood a few inches taller than her. The fat tail he'd had as a Treecko disappeared during his first evolution, replaced by vestigial grass-like blades, but now his proper tail was back, as thick as a small tree.

Looking over his new form appreciatively, Cerberus hummed a small "Sceptile..~"

"Nice~" chimed Morgan, but as she turned to Sera, her smile faded. "Wwwhat's with that look?"

Sera shook as if to clear her head, and said, "Oh, s-sorry. I'm just… a little awestruck. I can't believe how quickly he's evolved already!"

As her mind jumped to the Exp Share in her bag, Morgan laughed nervously. "Oh uh.. Y-yeah. Well, you know. You use a few regular Pokemon pretty evenly, where I use mostly Cer and Mithril and change up my other party more, s-so they've probably just seen a little more action than the others at this point.. Right?"

"Mm, I guess that's true," Sera mused. "And I mean.. I guess it's not _that_ big a difference, but it'll probably be at least a few more days for Tank and-"

… Oh no.

Both trainers suddenly had the same thought, and turned to see it confirmed: Cerberus stood lording his new body over Flash, towering over him as the Combusken shouted angrily at the smugly smirking Sceptile. Morgan didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm, and Sera looked much in the same boat.

"... Pelt and Kitsun?" suggested Sera.

"Pelt and Kitsun," Morgan agreed, and both swapped out their travel companions.

It was late afternoon when they made it to Fallarbor, and after stopping by the Pokemon Center for a quick rejuvenation and to swap out some party Pokemon, it seemed like dinner time. The town was pretty rustic, but with so much farmland around, they found a wonderful little diner with locally grown ingredients. The atmosphere was lovely, the food was delicious, and the whole thing was in absolutely no way anything like a date or anything at all. Though… if viewers took it that way and shipped them, Morgan supposed she couldn't complain about helping get people invested. ...And if she maybe happened to flirt more than strictly necessary to help that happen-

Should she give up and admit she was just being a little self-indulgent at this point? Ahaha… Well, it may have been just part of their game, but games were _meant_ to be enjoyed, right? Yeah… No harm in that…

After dinner, they weren't sure if it might be a bit too late to disturb Professor Cozmo, so Morgan decided to go do a little training at the edge of town while Sera hit the contest hall. Morgan evolved her Weedle, while Sera and Flash took first place in an amateur-ranked Coolness contest.

All in all, a mostly pleasant and fairly productive day. It was almost easy to forget how recently they'd been afraid of getting caught up in some huge terrifying battle with Team Aqua. After such a day, both trainers were feeling quite confident about their meeting with Devon, and resolved to get a bright and early start tomorrow.

* * *

It was a morning full of hope, full of promise.

"Can I help you?" a young woman asked.

"We'd like to talk to Professor Cozmo, if he's not busy~" Sera chimed.

"...O-oh.." The woman bit her lip. "I- I'm afraid he hasn't returned yet from going out to meet his _last_ visitors."

"...Last-?"

"They just…" She huffed a sigh. "_Showed up_ in the middle of the night, or.. Maybe very early this morning? But they came in for a while to talk to him, and, well.. Classic Takao. Someone expresses interest in his research and off he goes… I… I hate to ask, but if you're looking for him anyway, could you maybe head out to Meteor Falls and see if you can find him? I'm getting a little worried, and there was something about the way those men were dressed that made me-"

"...Fuck," hissed Morgan, earning a surprised look from the woman. "How um. How _exactly_ were they dressed?"

"I-... Oh, this is going to sound ridiculous, but they sort of reminded me of-"

Sera caught on now two and urgently asked, "Pirates?"

"-w-why yes. How did you-"

"DAMMIT ALL."

* * *

They'd been ordered to stay out of the previous conflict, sure. But that was where there was active destruction, a mysterious Pokemon known to be involved, and a Gym Leader just down the way. Now, all they knew was that an innocent man might be in danger, and they were in the middle of nowhere.

As they raced down Route 114, Sera ended up on a heated call with a few League officials. At first they were ordered to stay out of it, Aqua having proven themselves too dangerous recently to let mere competitors get involved. But when it became clear the girls were going one way or the other and the only things the League could do were embrace it or punish them after the fact for trying to be heroic, they grudgingly changed their tune.

They were urged to avoid conflict if at all possible, but whoever Sera was speaking with agreed to do their best to see to it that backup was sent as soon as possible and that their 114 captures could be postponed.

Which was probably a good thing, because Flash was one-shotting things with a measly Quick Attack now, and he wasn't the strongest Pokemon here, he was just the one getting to most potential opponents quickest. A few other battles _were_ quickly fought, though, as needed, and during one, Morgan's Kakuna evolved, though she'd no time to celebrate at the moment.

It didn't take long for the wild Pokemon to realize these trainers were on a mission and really weren't to be trifled with, which gave them a straighter shot. Flash was able to race far ahead, back and forth, to act as a scout.

Once they reached the base of the mountain, though she'd never ask it of him under normal circumstances, Cerberus proved big enough and strong enough now to carry Morgan and then Sera up the cliff face, cutting probably a good hour out of what might have been hike time at the expense of somewhat tiring a single Pokemon from their collective teams. Not a bad trade.

The girls were a bit winded themselves when they made it to the cave's entrance, but they could hear voices ahead, and pressed on.

Two Zubat swooped down as they entered, startling them. Sera had recalled all her Pokemon for Cerberus to carry her, and in her panic to release one now, she accidentally threw an empty Pokeball. ...Which. Worked. … Okay. Morgan shrugged and tried the same. "... So that was easy." But they had more to worry about right now.

At last, a cluster of figures came into view. Chief among them appeared to be a tall, dark woman with long blue-streaked hair. "This doesn't have to be _hard_, darling," she cooed, leaning in so that her face was but a few inches from a man who could only be Professor Cozmo. "Just give… us... that meteorite~ We _really_ don't want to have to take it and risk _breaking_ something, now, _do_ we~?"

Cozmo swallowed hard. "I-I-I guess not? P-please, just-"

"_Hey_," barked Morgan. "Back away from the nerd."

The Aqua Admin turned to look at them, then barked a laugh. "Oh? Nerd? But I don't _see_ anyone from Team Magma here," she teased. A particularly nasally, obnoxious laugh resounded behind her, causing her smile to fall as she groaned.

"Guess again, Aqua filth." Wait, Morgan knew that voice.

The Aqua woman turned to see the same researcher Sera and Morgan had met in Fiery Path now approaching, this time decked out in much more red. "Well if it isn't Team-" She did a double take. "TABITHA?"

Tabitha's smile fell now as well. "Sh-shelly?"

Both floundered incoherently for a few moments before Shelly demanded to know, "Why on earth would you side with Team Magma!?"

"Hyunh!?" Tabitha scoffed. "I, Tabitha, have always been Leader Maxie's loyal right hand!"

"...This seems like a personal matter," mumbled Cozmo. "Can I just-"

""No,"" both Admins barked, and the professor just sadly sat down with his rock.

Tabitha turned back to Shelly. "But- you! I shared coffee and donuts with you!"

"Oh, like you needed them," Shelly jabbed.

""Hey that's not fair,"" Sera and Tabitha defended in near unison.

"Besides, Archie and I have been-friends since we were just-"

But Tabitha's attention was on Sera now, and Morgan by proxy. "If it isn't the children. I didn't expect you'd make it here so quickly. I suppose we owe you thanks for that little tip, but now I suggest you stay out of the adults' way."

...Tip? Oh, shit. "Look, I don't know why you want a meteorite," Morgan half-bluffed, imagining it probably related to that Mega Evolution bit Genevieve mentioned before, but seeing no reason to divulge as much. "But _neither_ of you are walking out of here with it."

Tabitha gave his nasally laugh again. "Isn't this amusing!? Is it really your intention to oppose two Admins and a slew of grunts on both sides, just the two of you?"

As Morgan considered an answer, debating whether this counted as unnecessary conflict, Sera suddenly shifted into an odd, rigid salute. "Sir!" Morgan turned to look at her, stunned. "I wish to apologize for my past ignorance. It has become clear to me now that any side opposing Team Aqua's madness is a side I want to align with, and that Team Magma's vision holds the best interest of Hoenn at heart. With your permission, I would prove my loyalty by taking out the Aqua trash."

Shelly scoffed. "Just how young is Magma _recruiting _now, Tabi?"

As Tabitha looked Sera over skeptically, she rolled her eyes and bit back to Shelly, "For Arceus's sake, I've graduated school and I have like _one month_ until I'm a Legal Adult. Like if everyone could please just drop-"

"Very well," Tabitha said, cutting her off. "Let's see your true colors, child." Sera pursed her mouth a moment, but then calmed herself and nodded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Morgan snapped.

But Sera just flashed her a grin. "What?" she asked as she started to head down the half-eroded stair path to Shelly. "Would you prefer to give me a kiss for good luck first~?" She winked playfully.

…Wwwhy was she mentioning- _Oh._ Because they were both fake. Ha. Right, getting one team to stand back while they took on the other was probably a good idea, wasn't it? Perhaps Morgan gave Sera too little credit sometimes. "Well, I _guess_ I can't let you do it alone," Morgan muttered, faux-grudgingly.

Shelly gave a deep chuckle. "I see how it is. You think you can all gang up to make a fool of me." She smiled viciously then. "_Bring it._ I won't forgive _any_ of you if you beg for mercy." Morgan wasn't sure if she was talking to her own men or them… but her money was on _both_.

The battle was chaos. Sera and Morgan had never battled cooperatively, but they stopped getting under each other's feet quickly enough. Soon, all the Grunts' Pokemon were knocked out or dead, and Shelly's Carvanha was having a tough time of things. Her Mightyena was proving tough, but ultimately the super-effective attacks of Morgan's new Beedrill took it down.

As her last Pokemon fell, she bit back, "_Fools_."

"Excellent," praised Tabitha. Wait, his voice was closer? All eyes turned to see him taking the meteorite from Cozmo.

"_No!_" hissed Shelly.

"I don't think so," said Morgan firmly.

As she stepped past Shelly to face him, Tabitha sneered with a "Hnn". He stood, bringing Cozmo with him, then flippantly shoved his hostage away. Cozmo promptly lost his balance and stumbled toward the edge of the natural bridge on which they stood; Tabitha's widening eyes said that was not his intention, but he didn't have time to process it and move in time.

Fortunately, Sera did. "Professor!" She barely caught him, and the air of relief could be felt throughout the entire cavern. It seemed Cozmo was more valuable to everyone alive than dead, so at least that worked in their favor. "Be _careful_," Sera scolded over her shoulder.

Tabitha frowned. "You'll watch your tongue around an Admin, child." A tense beat passed, and he added defensively, "That was clearly an accident. … But nice work, I _suppose_."

"Tch. Nice work," Shelly seethed. "I'll say 'nice work', you just let Team Fiery Destruction over here get their hands on-"

"Not yet," huffed Morgan. "Because I don't intend to let you keep it."

Tabitha laughed, slowly, menacingly. "And I suppose you, with your weakened team, will stop me and my squadron all by yourself?" Morgan looked urgently to Sera, and Tabitha turned a glance somewhere between smug and questioning her way as well. "Let's see if your so-called loyalty holds, shall we?" … Sera bit her lip.

Morgan half-sighed, half-growled. "We don't have time for this." Despite herself, muscle memory raised a hand in preparation for a spell, but a half-second later she shook of that urge and instead lunged at Tabitha herself.

"Sir!" two of his grunts exclaimed, both releasing Pokemon to force her back.

Once a comfortable distance was restored, Tabitha sent his own Pokemon into the fight as well. Their battle formation was _far_ more efficient and coordinated, but that also made it predictable, Morgan soon realized. As she managed to hold her own, albeit barely, a streak of gold suddenly zipped into her field of vision. "_Finally_," Morgan mumbled.

Flash attempted to recover the meteorite the same way he'd recovered the Devon Parts, simply snatching them away- but Tabitha, it seemed, was deceptively strong. He held tight, and when the force of Flash's leap was not enough to free it from his grasp, Flash found himself cut short, anchored to the spot by his own grip on the meteorite.

Tabitha twisted such that Flash could not quite reach the ground, and with no traction, he was easily pulled off and tossed to the ground.

"_FLASH."_ Sera urgently rushed to his side to find him thankfully only shaken, but Sera still seemed to have had enough, ordering Tank to join Morgan in battle.

"And there it is," Tabitha muttered, scoffing in Sera's direction. "_Get up_. You're going to regret trying to make a mockery of Team Magma."

Sera helped Flash to his feet as she got to her own, stammering, "B-but, you don't-"

"_Hush_, little baby. Don't _dare_ say a _word_." Morgan thought Sera's eyes looked a little wetter as she shut her mouth tight. "Now accept your punishment as I teach you both just how terrifying adults can _be_."

Meanwhile, Morgan could hear Aqua grunts murmuring amongst themselves behind her. "I wish we could do something."

"Maybe we should get out of here while we can."

"_Quiet_, boys." That one was clearly Shelly. "If these trainers manage to weaken their Pokemon enough we may still get a shot. Just hang back."

Well, Morgan couldn't worry about that now. Between Mithril and Tank, they had some pretty formidable defenses even with Tank fighting of his own accord, and Cerberus's attacks were nothing to scoff at either even as tired as he was.

Just as the battle seemed to be winding down in their favor, however, another voice rose from nearby. "What on _earth_ could be taking you so long? Don't tell me you're actually having trouble with those sub-par Aqua trainers." This voice was unfamiliar to Morgan, but Sera became visibly nervous.

"M-maxie!" she squeaked as a red-headed man came into view.

With a look somewhere between boredom and disgust, he surveyed the battlefield, eyes pausing a moment on Sera. "... Hm. I thought I'd warned you, child. A pity you had to choose the wrong side."

"B-but-"

"_Maxie_, ye spineless dog!" _That_ voice Morgan recognized, and she turned to see a slightly out-of-breath Archie standing above them. "Seems like I got here _just_ in time."

Maxie sneered. "... It would seem things are getting a bit crowded, wouldn't you say? Tabitha!"

"Sir!"

"You have the meteorite, I take it?"

"Affirmative."

Maxie smirked. "Very well. Then let us waste no more time with these imbeciles. Execute emergency escape maneuver. Grunt Number Four!"

"Sir!" said the grunt, who had remained on the sidelines until now. He quickly release a Koffing, then paused for just a moment. Maxie took on a grim expression, but nodded at him. The grunt took a deep breath before mumbling, "Sorry pal." Then he ordered, "Self-Destruct!"

Suddenly, Morgan was on the ground, ears violently ringing, and smoke filled the air around her. "Squadron C, move out!" called Maxie's seemingly distant voice. Coughing as she began to push herself up, Morgan could just make out the forms of Maxie and Tabitha releasing two very large quadrupedal Pokemon, each climbing on the back of one with a grunt or two joining each. Morgan could make out little about either Pokemon, save that one looked orange-striped and very large, and the other looked brown-ish and even larger.

The smaller of the two creatures gave a canine growl in protest at carrying so many passengers, but it was soon drowned out by the larger one letting out a fearsome roar- as loud as the one Morgan had heard on Mt. Chimney she'd suspect, but _different_. All the same, it blasted a hole in the cavern wall- causing a few stalactites to crash to the ground around them, but thankfully no worse- and with a few leaps, Team Magma was gone.

"That-! Filthy- _underhanded, amoral piece of fucking-_" Archie had found his feet now, and rushed down to check first on Shelly, then the Grunts.

The smoke was clearing, now, and Morgan both saw and heard Sera crying. "Tank!" Having been closest to the blast, it seemed the Marshtomp took the worst damage, and he now lay in her arms with staggering breath, severe wounds, and a fiercely determined expression on what could still be discerned of his face. Morgan's gut turned. That was the face of someone who _should_ by all means be dead, but flat-out refused to die.

"He'll be safer in his Pokeball," Morgan reminded her.

Sera's mind and body were both scrambling, but she stuttered, "R-right," and managed to recall both him and Flash as she fought desperately to keep from hyperventilating.

"Well, I hope you're happy, scamp," Archie chided Morgan. "Thanks to you two, those _lunatics_ might just succeed in calling forth the power of Mt. Chimney."

"Like you had better plans," retorted Morgan.

"Stopping _them_, for one," bit back Archie. He growled, but then stood. "Right. Better get after them if we're going to do it. All right boys!" he called, getting the team's attention. "You know the drill! There ain't gonna be enough room for everyone so head for the hills!" Immediately, the Grunts began to scatter, while Shelly moved closer to Archie. He looked down to her and nodded. "Do it."

Suddenly, an aura of power came over Shelly, and her eyes glowed bright blue-white. "BOREAS!" she cried.

Her call was answered with a great roar of "KUUUUUUUUUUUUU;" Morgan felt a sudden chill.

Through the hole created by Maxie's Pokemon, a blue quadruped nearly the same size leapt into the cave, taking a place next to the Aqua leaders. This gave Morgan her first good look at just how massive these beasts were; Archie was _far_ from being a small man, and this thing stood a little taller than him just _at the shoulder._ Archie and Shelly pushed aside its massive purple mane and climbed aboard.

"To Mt. Chimney, old friend!" commanded Archie, and the beast bounded away.

The last of the grunts was disappearing deeper into the cave now, but getting their Pokemon healed and Professor Cozmo to safety was far more important than chasing the small fish right now.

"W-what…" Cozmo was stuttering. "H-how… why would they…"

Sera, meanwhile, just stared awestruck after them. Softly, stunned, she managed to breathe the word, "Suicune…"

* * *

Back at Fallarbor's Pokemon Center, both faced a severe amount of scolding over their Navs as they waited for their Pokemon to be healed. If one good thing had come of this, it was that Professor Cozmo was willing to give any and all research to Devon without question if it meant keeping it and himself safe from those ruffians.

Morgan wasn't so sure that was the case, attempting to explain that Tabitha had clearly been in a Devon coat back in Fiery path, and that for that matter, Tabitha and Shelly appeared to know each other from _somewhere_ work-related, quite possibly Devon itself. Of course, since the _broadcasting_ had been down at the time, officials claimed they had _no proof_ of these wild allegations and swore that Devon was as secure as it had ever been.

Sera had explained that the Pokemon Archie escaped on was Legendary, revered as a god, and far more in other parts of the Pokemon world than Hoenn. Some didn't believe it existed, and those that did usually expected it to stay in its native land. Sera was only even aware it existed because she was so deeply interested in myths and fairy tales. That it was not only real but here in Hoenn was… concerning, and Sera suspected one or both of the other Pokemon may have been its counterparts.

All the while, Morgan found herself fuming that they had no way of stopping whatever was about to go down at Mt. Chimney, no way of fixing their mess. At least the day for them couldn't get much worse- unless, of course, Magma brought about some world-ending disaster or something. Wouldn't that be just their luck?

"RRRRRRAAAUU!" A roar as loud as the others but once-again different resounded from outside.

The Center went quiet for nearly a minute, then the roar echoed again.

Morgan's Nav began to beep, but she simply stuffed it in her bag, into the folds of her sleeping bag to muffle it as best as she could, and approached the counter. "Are our Pokemon battle-ready?" she asked the nurse.

"Hm? I… They could probably use a longer rest, and I recommend some potions if you insist on taking them now, but the worst of their injuries should be patched up enough to manage."

"Good. Give them to us."

The nurse's eyes fell to Morgan's faintly beeping bag, but seeing little other hope for a savior just now, she reluctantly complied. "Be careful," she urged. Morgan nodded and shoved Sera's PokeBalls at her.

They went outside expecting to face another foe, but saw only a singular creature, just barely smaller than those from the Falls, standing firmly before them and looking not the least bit aggressive.

"...Raikou?" Sera asked. The Raikou stepped forth, and as it did, a pendant hanging from its neck caught both trainers' eyes. "Does… this mean anything to you?" she asked. Morgan shook her head, and Sera went on. "It… looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place-" Raikou let out a few low rumbles. "What?"

Morgan just stood back and watched. She still wasn't sure if Sera could really understand Pokemon, or if she just sincerely believed she could, but it seemed they had nothing better to go on right now, did they?

"... Morgan. Climb on."

"What?" Looking between her and Raikou now, she asked the most sincerely she ever had, "What did it say…?"

"They can't stand by while Suicune and Entei take part in Aqua and Magma's feud. We won't get there before the battle starts, but we just might before it ends." Sera climbed on Raikou's back herself, now, locking her legs around their torso as best she could and gripping the fur on the back of their neck. "Climb up here and hold on tight."

Both Navs were beeping wildly, but Raikou shot them a glare, and suddenly both shorted- Sera's on her belt and Morgan's confirmed by a quick look in her bag. The lights continued to flash urgently, but it seemed the audio had been disabled. Thank the- Morgan found herself smirking. Well, apparently, thank _this particular_ god.

"All right then," she said as she joined Sera. "I guess we're going mountain climbing."


	15. Mt Chimney

Morgan found it hard to wrap her head around just how fast Raikou must be moving, leaping from one flimsy excuse for a foothold to the next with effortless ease, though their ability to cut through the off-limit wilds did not hurt their ability to make incredible time. A journey that took days on foot was cut down to perhaps an hour upon the thunder god's back.

As Sera explained, according to legends, Raikou lacked the physical strength of Entei or the defensive prowess of Suicune, but it was the fastest of its brethren without question, racing like the very lightning it commanded. Which meant they arrived not long at all after Aqua caught up to Magma. It seemed both teams had had reserves waiting in the wings, as the mountain's summit was now crawling with grunts from each.

Raikou was wise enough to slip in discreetly rather than announce its presence, and as their passengers slipped off their back, they awaited a plan of action.

One thing about it: while before, Tabitha seemed willing to ally with Shelly to dispose of their mutual distraction before continuing their real battle, this time Magma and Aqua were thoroughly involved with each other already. Which meant Sera and Morgan could let the grunts take care of themselves while they focused on the big guns.

"I think I should take care of Maxie and Tabitha," Morgan said. "Considering _some_ of us apparently can't decide whose side we're on."

Sera cringed. "I- I'm sorry. I-I told you before, I… was supposed to try to earn their trust if I thought I was able, s-so…" Morgan didn't look like she was buying it, but Sera steeled herself and shook her head, then. "A-anyway. Cerberus is the best bet we have of taking out Aqua's stronger Water-types, and Tank's gonna be best against Magma's Fire."

Morgan grimaced and made a skeptic sound, but admitted, "All right, that's true. Regardless which we feel might be the lesser of two evils, we have to play to our strengths and remember that any evil is still too much. Are you sure Tank's up to fighting?"

Sera bit her lip so hard she thought she may draw blood, but finally she nodded. "Yeah… I used every potion I had left on the ride over here, so all our Pokemon are as good as they'll get…" She hesitated, then added, "And… besides. You've been accused of Aqua sympathies, and if even _you're_ doubting me about Magma after the Falls, then the best way to clear both our names is going to be to take on the team we're suspected of siding with."

Morgan made an affirmative sound. "Also true. So…"

They peeked out from their hiding place to survey the battleground. Archie and Shelly stood back to back, surrounded by a slew of Magma grunts, who seemed to serve as a defensive line. Tabitha stood guard behind them, an Arcanine poised and alert at his side. Maxie stood out on a dangerous-looking catwalk that extended over the mouth of the volcano, fiddling with some sort of machine. Far across the summit, Suicune and Entei were locked in a ferocious battle no other participant of the feud dared get close to.

They were moving so quickly that it was hard to tell, but Sera thought she could make out some sort of mechanical contraption adhered to Entei's face, and as her heart went out to the Pokemon, her anger welled. "Raikou… Can you stop your siblings?"

_PERHAPS,_ their resonant voice echoed. _I DO NOT WISH TO SEE HARM COME TO THEM, BUT I MUST TRY._

Sera nodded. "In that case," she climbed back up and motioned Morgan to do the same, "get us to that spot over there, then do what you can." Raikou lighted around the summit's edges, dropping the trainers between the Magma line and Tabitha. "Good luck," Sera said, and Raikou growled affirmatively before bounding off, the sounds of thunder soon joining the rest of the battle.

Morgan held her ground here, ready to help Sera if absolutely needed, or more likely to catch and further stall Archie and Shelly when they broke the line. Meanwhile, Sera headed toward Tabitha.

"-_What?_" he hissed as he saw her. "How on _earth _did you brats make it here?"

"Determination," Sera said flatly.

From behind her, Morgan piped up, "Turns out your gods like us."

Tabitha's eyes flashed to where the beasts were doing battle, widening when he caught sight of Raikou in the fray. "I-I see." After a moment, he shook that off and turned his attention back to Sera. "D-d-do you _really_ intend to get in our way _again_?"

The Arcanine at Tabitha's side shifted into an aggressive stance, but Tabitha's hand on its side quickly calmed it, though the Admin's fierce eyes remained locked on her.

Sera's nerves all stood on end, and she couldn't tell if it was that or the overwhelming heat causing her to sweat, but she kept her face calm and took a few defiant steps forward. "I'm afraid I do."

Tabitha snarled and huffed a frustrated growl. "You…" He stepped forward in turn. "Are really…" He balled his fists so hard his hands shook. "Really really really…" He closed the rest of the gap between them as he continued, growing more and more frustrated by the second. "Really really really-" there were mere inches between them now- "really really really really-" Sera found herself unable to resist stumbling back a step or two as he leaned down even closer- "really!-" he began to stamp his foot- "really! REALLY! REALLY! The MOST _obnoxious_ child, AREN'T you!"

Sera's mind raced. Some part of her knew that tantrum was ripe for calling out, but she couldn't seem to-

"Hello pot, meet kettle!" Thank the gods for Morgan's banter honestly. Sera would ask her to stay out of it and keep an eye on Archie but- no, this was more than fine.

Tabitha's eyes widened at the remark, his sneer becoming a bit more unnerved as his face slightly reddened. His eyes then darted around as he searched for a thought. "Ah… Uh…"

And still he stayed so uncomfortable close, looming over the small girl. Sera refused to give any more ground, but wanted him to back up, and for reasons beyond any rationale, her brain suddenly decided the best way to achieve that was to snap at him like a feral Pokemon to _make_ him.

He _didn't_, or not quickly enough- not until after she actually bit his cheek, at which point he did jump several feet back, hand flying to his face as he barked, "_What_ the _hell?_"

Sera did her best to pretend she didn't want to die of embarrassment right then and there, hoping her expression was suitably haughty as she replied, "You needed a lesson in personal space."

"I- AUGH!" Tabitha threw a Pokeball as he yelled, "I will _crush_ you!"

_Another Koffing_ materialized, and Sera's heart almost stopped. Tank, Flash, Wings, Pelt, Zuma, and Octillery- if Koffing's ability could be neutralized, Tank's Mud Bomb would work, but as it was she had nothing super-effective, which meant her best bet was, unfortunately, speed.

Tabitha was already giving orders by the time Flash materialized, but to Sera's great relief he did not plan on sacrificing the Pokemon right away this time, it seemed. Despite _knowing_ from ample studying that Koffing's normal gases were not especially flammable, a deep fear still rose in Sera with every hit of Flame Charge.

But that one! That should have- shit. She was so sure that would take the Koffing down, but although it was deeply pained and drifting toward the ground, it seemed to be holding on by a thread.

"Eugh…" Tabitha spat. "Very well. Self-Destruct."

"_No!_"

Sera was able to brace herself better this time, keeping her feet, but she could hear Tabitha coughing as hard as she was, and Arcanine sounded none too pleased either. Sera fumbled for her Pokeballs, and released Pelt. "H-hey," she choked. "I know we haven't practiced it, but could- do you think you could manage just one weak Razor Wind for me to clear this gas?"

Pelt thought it over a second, but nodded firmly. Had this been an attack, it would have been deemed a pathetic failure, but he managed just enough wind to get the job done… and to Sera's great relief, an only mildly banged-up Flash still stood firmly. He shot her a grin and his best approximation of a thumbs up. _No need to worry about me, beautiful_, he said smugly. Then turning a more serious leer Tabitha's way, he added, _It'll take more than that for this asshole to get the drop on me again._

As their battle continued, the Grunt line was finally broken, and Morgan stepped out to greet Archie and Shelly. "Hahn!? My, my. You really are quite the persistent little trainers, aren't you."

With a deep sigh, Archie ordered, "Stand aside, scamp. Our fight's not with you."

"No," said Morgan. "But if you just end up repurposing whatever Maxie's trying for your own ends, it will be."

Shelly sneered. "Has anyone ever told you your _existence_ is _annoying?_"

Archie just repeated more slowly: "Stand. Aside."

"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

"... It's. It's Archie," said the Aqua Leader.

"I-... I know, it… It was a reference. And… You know, like. Davy Jones? Since, you guys are all…"

"_Ah_." … Archie took a moment, but finally chuckled. "You know, you're not half bad, Morgan. Truth be told, I've had a strange feeling about you since the first moment I saw you." Shelly's eyes flashed with concern and darted to Archie, but she did not move otherwise and said nothing. "Yeh sure you won't join us? Ya know you could always change your mind if we started gettin' inta any business that didn't agree with ya."

That gave Morgan paused, but she finally shook her head. "Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to take that chance…"

Archie sighed. "I see. Afraid that's mighty unfortunate, then. Because ya see, scamp, from where we're standing, you're a dirty villain standing in the way of justice."

Morgan began to protest his choice of words, but Shelly interrupted before she could. "The world we're trying to create would be a utopia for Pokemon! All we're trying to do is _fix_ everything human projects like Devon _destroyed._" Morgan held her tongue, but barely. Shelly huffed. "Guess the time for words is over. Very well."

Each side chose their Pokemon.

Back on the Magma side, Tabitha's Numel had put up quite a fight, but Tank- despite his fresh scars- handled the situation readily. Now even the Arcanine had been called to the battle, but it was pretty clear who was winning.

"...Stop," Tabitha said at last.

"What?"

He recalled the Arcanine. "Team Magma values practicality too much to sacrifice an escape plan for a futile cause. I, Tabitha, concede defeat. Leader Maxie should have no trouble finishing you off, assuming he's not already finished his work." He leaned back and crossed his arms, smirking. "Go ahead, if you must."

"... O-oh." Sera wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Th...anks? I think?" Tabitha shrugged, and as she started to walk past, she stopped and looked to him again. "Can I ask you something?"

"I have a feeling you'll do so either way." ...She'd take that as a yes.

"How-..." Her eyes fell away, then hesitantly came back to him. "...How can you stand to wear that heavy outfit up here?" she asked instead. "Even I'm sweating like crazy."

Tabitha frowned. "I suggest you move on to Maxie if you're going to," he didn't answer.

"Right…" Well this wasn't awkward. ...No? No actually, it really wasn't. She had no reason to expect him to be amiable. This was a man- a _Team_\- that would sacrifice Pokemon's lives to get what they wanted. She didn't want to imagine what that mechanism on Entei's face was, or how such vicious people enlisted the aid of a minor god. She could grant that Maxie had charisma, and that at the core of all this there may have been some sound theories. But, she reminded herself, these were mad men taking them much too far, and they needed to be _stopped_.

As she marched up to Maxie, determination reforged, and shouted, "This has gone far _enough_."

The Magma Leader turned to look her over, smirking when he got to her face. "Ahhh, it's good to see the fire back in your eyes, child. When I saw you in such _pitiful_ shape back at the Falls, I thought it may have been extinguished."

"_Shut up_," barked Sera. "Or if you _have_ to run your mouth, tell me what you think you're _doing_ with all this." ...Oh gosh, oh gosh she wasn't used to sounding that commanding and this was a little nervewracking. She knew she was entirely justified and her rage was definitely not so easy to quell at this point, but some small part of her inside was still starting to panic.

But Maxie let out an uncharacteristically hearty laugh, which came off all the more condescending for its rarity. "I believe you're mistaken. You seem to have confused me for some cartoon villain who is prone to expository monologues. As if I, the Great Maxie, would divulge Team Magma's secrets so readily." Sera cringed; he had a point… "Suffice it to say that in a few minutes, if all our calculations were correct, the meteorite you helped us obtain will be far more than a mere hunk of space rock."

"N-not if I stop you."

"Then by all means." He adjusted his glasses and smirked. "Your efforts will be no more than a diversion while our machine finishes running its course."

… Right. If the machine was the important part… "Wings," she called as she released the Swellow. "_Boomburst._" The bird followed his trainer's point and zipped by the machine to create a thunderous wave, promptly destroying a good chunk of the machinery.

"_YOU FOOL._" In an instant, Maxie's cool exterior was gone. "You pathetic little waste of breath! How _dare_ you rip this dream from our grasp this close to fruition! I was content to humor you, but you had to go and _ruin! EVERYTHING!_" As he raved, Sera found herself growing numb- she could say nothing, do nothing, save hold a straight face while she mentally cowered in the echoes of his words. When Maxie stopped for breath, then shifted instead to manic laughter, it actually came as a relief. "_Fine._ It would seem you've forced my hand." With a glare that would make Death quake, he seethed, "_The time for the purge has come_."

Immediately Sera's nerves stood on end again. "P-_purge?_"

Maxie released a few Pokemon and simply pointed them in the direction of Sera's before moving toward her himself. "I will _bury_ you _by my own hand._"

Aside from the fact that Kitsun refused to battle with so many Poochyena around, Morgan was handling her foes with little issue. Shelly's last Pokemon had just gone down, and only Archie's Sharpedo now remained, not counting the Suicune still caught up in a battle of his own. Though fast in the water, the shark was quite out of his element here, and Cerberus's Mega Drains had kept him in good shape.

"All right, scamp. It looks like I'm really gonna have to let loose here, so don't come cryin' or sayin' I didn't warn you."

Morgan scoffed. "Awful big talk there, don't you think?"

"Oh, I don't think," Archie said. He held up the small anchor that hung from his neck and called, "JETSAM!" Both the anchor and the Sharpedo began to glow, but this was different than when Morgan's Pokemon evolved. Rather than slowly changing form, there was just a _burst_, and in one blinding instant, Jetsam was bigger, stronger, bulkier, and surprisingly more agile. "Ice Fang!"

"Ah shit."

Meanwhile, Tank and Wings fought off Maxie's Mightyena and Golbat, while Sera struggled to block and dodge Maxie himself. At one point, he managed to grab hold of her cloak, and she was forced to abandon it to get away, though this did grant her a fair amount of distance. To her horror, he immediately discarded it- right over the side of that catwalk. "_No!_"

A victorious cry from Wings brought Maxie's attention briefly back to the Pokemon to see that both Pokemon lay struggling for breath. "Hmph. It seems you are more formidable than anticipated." He abandoned his attack on Sera then to recall both Pokemon, then took on a terrifying smile. "I can say this much, child. You _certainly_ do keep me _entertained._ But now allow me to return the favor, by showing you my true power!"

He let loose one more Pokemon now, calling, "Camerupt!" As he touched his glasses, it underwent the same burst of transformation, standing now as a small volcano atop a volcano. Sera debated if this was too much.

Cerberus was hanging on, thanks to Mega Drain, but Jetsam was far tougher than expected- quite possibly the single strongest Pokemon Morgan had faced thus far. And Maxie's Camerupt seemed to just rudely ignore the level of weakness it should have had against Tank. The battle was coming down to the wire.

Then a spark of realization hit Morgan. Jetsam was managing to bounce around and maneuver pretty well for a fish, but with him being the last Pokemon standing…

"Cerberus! Just keep 'em busy." And with that, Morgan ran to join Sera, unleashing Manowar. "Bubblebeam!"

The attack hit in near unison with Tank's Water Gun, and the combined force with the element of surprise caught both Camerupt and Maxie off-guard.

As Camerupt let out a wail and fell over, Maxie jumped so hard his glasses fell off, and he lost balance, stumbling at the edge of the catwalk. Sera's heart nearly leapt out of her throat as she desperately grabbed his arm and leaned back, pulling him to safety by means of dragging them both to the ground.

Maxie struggled to process what just occurred and stared bewildered down at her. Sera, meanwhile, just found herself focusing on his face, and musing that for perhaps the first time since she'd met him, his dark gray eyes neither held ill will nor masked a deeper intent. For once, in those few moments of confusion, he looked vulnerable. Genuine.

Sera offered a small smile, and Maxie finally scrambled to his feet, straightening his clothes, fixing his glasses, clearing his throat, regaining his composure, and fighting a furious blush.

As Sera pushed herself into a sitting position, she realized that Morgan had already commandeered her Pokemon, and with their help was now delivering Archie's own finishing blow. She breathed something a little too small to be a laugh, then started to move to stand, but found a hand extended down to help her up. Smiling at Maxie again, she took it with a "Thanks."

He said nothing in response, but turned to head back to his machine.

Following at a distance, she hesitantly asked, "Is there… any chance you want to tell me _now_ what it was meant to do?"

Meanwhile, Archie seemed more amused than shocked by his own defeat- though the fact that his rival had been stopped already may have contributed to that. "Well, well. I knew you were the real deal. Ain't that something?"

Maxie sighed. "You know of the ancient gods, Groudon and Kyogre, said to have made the lands and seas of Hoenn, yes?"

Sera thought over her recollection of lore and answered, "Yes, I've heard of- … Wait." It all clicked into place now. "So when you talk about expanding the land, you-" She would have said something about how ridiculous it was to try to change the world by hunting down myths, but three of them were still fighting not a hundred yards away. If they were all real, and still alive, here today, was this plan really so crazy? "So you're trying to… find Groudon?"

Maxie chuckled softly. "No, my dear. Finding it isn't the issue."

Archie walked over to Morgan now, all remaining Pokemon on alert should he try anything, but all he did was clap her on the shoulder. "I can't say I'm gonna stop aiming to achieve our dreams or come quietly with ya today, scamp. But by Arceus, I'll admit I'm impressed. Couple o' good folks like you just might be able to change this place for the better _without_ the need for all our complicated plans. I'm sure not gonna count on it, but I hope you do."

At first touch, Morgan had weakly tried to shrug his hand away, but she had oddly stopped minding the contact quickly. "Honestly, I wouldn't count too much on me, either," she admitted. "But I guess I've been surprised before."

Archie chuckled, and Shelly finally stopped fuming long enough to rejoin them. "Should we cut our losses and go, then, hon?"

Archie sighed as he spoke. "I s'pose so." Just then, the modified Nav on his belt rang. "... Ah. Hang on just a second. I'm afraid I have to take this."

"We've known for quite some time exactly _where_ it is," Maxie went on. "But awakening it is another-" His Nav rang as well, and he immediately and unceremoniously abandoned the conversation to answer it. "Report."

"That you, Matt?"

"And you're sure it's-?"

"That certainly would change things, yeah."

"...Is that brute there with- Nevermind. Hold position and await instructions."

"Ehehe, yeah, you too, bro."

Maxie looked back to Sera. "Change of plans. It seems Team Magma no longer has need of this meteorite." He removed it from the machine. "But of course, as particularly ripe for Mega research as this one is, well... If Team Magma cannot be the ones to possess it, no one can." Sera watched as a dark shape flew from his hands into the volcano below. Well, better than falling into wrong hands?

"Seems we'd best be going, so best of luck to you again…" Archie grinned and winked as he added, "Captain Morgan." … Wait what exactly was he implying? Morgan didn't know whether to take that as a symbol of respect or a suggestion that she should start drinking.

Again, Shelly's eyes glowed as she commanded, "Boreas, let's go." Without a second's hesitation, the Suicune abandoned its battle and picked up the Aqua leaders to bound into the sunset.

Maxie bumped into Sera rather purposefully as he pushed past to rejoin Tabitha. Speaking into his Nav, he ordered, "Pele, retreat." The Entei, too, abandoned the Raikou now, picking up her own passengers and leaping down the mountain. The summit remained littered with Grunts from both sides, many injured, but rounding them all up seemed a task beyond their current capability.

Moreover, Sera found herself somewhat distracted by the strange lump she suddenly felt in her pocket. Cautiously reaching a hand in, but not pulling it out, she felt to realize it was almost certainly the meteorite. … but why? She didn't know what Maxie had actually discarded in its place, or why he'd go to the effort of putting on such an impressive sleight-of-hand show to make everyone think it was gone, but she especially didn't understand why he would give it to her at all, secretly or otherwise.

As Morgan and Raikou both approached, however, she just shifted her bag to cover the protrusion until she could remove it from her pocket and hide it more carefully.

"I can't believe we really pulled this off," Morgan said. "You lose anyone?" Sera shook her head.

_IT SEEMS MY WORK IS NOT YET DONE, HUMANS_, Raikou boomed to Sera. _I MUST ATTEMPT TO DISCOVER WHERE MY BROTHER AND SISTER HAVE GONE, BUT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION, AND FOR DELAYING DISASTER FOR A WHILE LONGER, I WOULD BE PLEASED TO CARRY YOU TO THE TOWN AT THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN._

Sera nodded. "Yes, please."

"What did they say?" asked Morgan.

Climbing on their back, Sera answered, "Next stop: Lavaridge."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a more tropical location, a mountain of a man sat fuming. "I cannot believe you blatantly ripped off my report like that, sis."

A small girl stared blankly at him. "I am not your sister. … And one cannot 'rip off' factual information. I merely… relayed the same facts."

The man growled. "You still gotta stop following me like this. It's _so_ not-cool."

"My aim is not to be 'cool'. It is to be… efficient."

"Uuuuuugh." He rolled his eyes with disgust. "You Magma stuffed-shirts are all the same, it's _infuriating._"

The girl offered a small, stilted laugh. "Thank you. ~"

* * *

**A/N:**

To the wonderful guest who left such a great review this afternoon: Thank you so much for all the encouraging words about everything.

To everyone else who's made it this far: I see you lurking out there and I appreciate you too~ Thank you so much for sticking around and allowing me to share this vision with you.

(Side note: I'm so upset that doesn't allow music notes, so I guess a tilde has to suffice. 8( )


	16. A True, True Friend

Upon landing in Lavaridge, even after Raikou left, Sera and Morgan were the subjects of much rumor and awe. People stared, but kept their distance, and some whispered as they passed. In the Pokemon Center, even the nurse seemed nervous talking to them, fumbling as she took their Pokemon to be healed.

Sera finally attempted to check all the messages they'd missed on their Navs, but found the audio still broken, such that she couldn't hear any voice or video mail or the other end of calls even when she wanted to. It seemed outgoing audio was fine, however, as were all visual aspects. With a few texts, they were assured technicians would arrive as soon as possible to repair their Navs.

Several League officials would be arriving with them, to have a serious talk with both trainers.

"That.. doesn't sound especially grateful," Morgan muttered.

"I'm… sure they are," Sera assured her. "It's just… We also went against protocol and ignored orders. We're really lucky things worked out as they did, but the rules are in place for a reason, and if they don't at least make some effort to show that, everyone might start thinking they can play vigilante, and…" She averted her gaze, and reflexively moved to pull her cloak around-... She gripped the hem of her shorts instead.

"Mm. I guess that's fair." After a moment, though, she chuckled. "So what you're saying is, we should've made a point to say-" she held up her Nav and looked up to it even though she was sure that wasn't how its camera function actually worked- "Don't try this at home, folks!"

Sera laughed lightly. "Yeah… Maybe so."

Morgan dropped the Nav to let it float and turned to her rival. "Hey. You okay?"

"Hm? Y-yeah, it's just… I guess I'm still processing everything that's happened today." Yawning, she added, "And I'm sort of exhausted," followed by an even weaker laugh. "Mind if I turn in a little early?"

"Ah. Nah, go ahead. I might do the same in that case," Morgan said. Glancing toward the currently vacant counter, she mused, "It feels sort of weird to realize how much I hate to sleep without Cerberus, now. But I guess they really should stay overnight either way, huh."

Sera nodded, but answered, "It's not weird though. Lots of trainers feel that way. Whether they cuddle up or have their Pokemon across the room or just like knowing their Pokeballs are there next to the bed. It's… comforting, you know?"

Morgan's mind briefly flashed back to Sera's form clinging to Flash, Tank curled up behind her, Pelt asleep nearby. ".. Y-yeah. I guess so." Morgan stood then and stretched, avoiding looking at Sera directly. "I'll see you in the morning, though, eh? Night."

"Night, Morgan."

* * *

Morgan was glad they passed out when they did, because the morning began early.

First it was just a knock on the door asking for her Nav to get started on repairs as soon as possible, but before she could get back to sleep, there was another to warn her that she was to meet with some League representatives in about an hour, and another to tell her they'd arrived.

She greeted Sera in the hall, and they headed downstairs to the lobby together. There, they found several faces Morgan didn't recognize, and one she thought she'd spoken to on video call once but knew nothing else about; but also the familiar sight of Genevieve and the jovial face of Professor Birch.

"Oh wow. I'm a little surprised you guys came all the way out here," said Morgan.

"Hello, dear," greeted Genevieve. "The League thought it best if you each had someone… _invested_ to talk with you about recent events. My dear Norman would have come himself, but… Well, you can imagine how busy Gym work is~" That her tone came off so sweet told Morgan she was none too pleased. Great.

"As for me, my research takes me most everywhere, don't you know!" laughed Birch. "So it wasn't _too_ far out of my way, and I thought, why, this will be a great opportunity to study some of the local Pokemon in these parts while I'm here. A real win-win situation all-around~"

"Huh. Yeah I guess that's cool," shrugged Morgan.

Sera was silent.

"If you would please come with us, Morgan, sweetie." Genevieve stood, along with one of the other random personnel. "The Center has been kind enough to offer us a room in which we can talk privately." Well this should be good.

"And Sera? You'll be coming with me." An official stood alongside Birch as well, but he shot the woman a glance and added, "Alone." She hesitated just a moment, but sat back down to allow it.

"... Y-yes sir."

The reprimands felt pretty run-of-the-mill, and Morgan admittedly zoned out for probably at least a third of it, offering the occasional 'yes' or 'no' reaction as appropriate to appease her co-sponsor and the League at large.

Yes, of course she understood the dangers. No, of course she didn't plan to make a habit of this. Yes, of course she was sorry for ignoring their attempts at contact. No, of course she wouldn't do it again. Yes, of course she understood how this reflected on Norman and Genevieve. No, of course she didn't think of herself as a hero. Yes, of course she understood that the general public might and would handle her newfound renown responsibly. Yes, of course she knew that more than ever her actions would reflect on the League as a whole. Yes, of course she would remain humble and reasonable and see her journey through to the end. No, of course she wouldn't expect special treatment. No, of course she wouldn't let it go to her head.

All in all, about what she expected.

She _hadn't_ expected Genevieve to be here, and some of the woman's bite and the subtle threat under some of her words did _occasionally _take Morgan off-guard, but only a little. It was enough to get her a little chilled once or twice, but she had quickly grown accustomed to these moods, and really had been given no reason to fear Genevieve _following up_ on any threat. Maybe- _maybe_\- disowning her as a sponseree, but Genevieve seemed to have become a little too invested for Morgan to fear that too seriously, and she was fairly sure that between what Pokemon she had now and the Guild of Secrets she would at least get by fine if it did come to that, so… Smile and nod.

Once all the official stuff was taken care of, their third party was dismissed, leaving the two of them alone.

Genevieve offered a relieved sigh. "I do have to thank you for being so agreeable to all this. Not that I was _too_ concerned, but… Well, I'm sure you've realized by now that not every competitor is as _grateful_ for their opportunities as you've been."

Morgan shrugged. "When the choice is between fighting for your life or playing a high-stakes game for your livelihood, there's really not that much difference. Permission to speak freely?"

Genevieve seemed somewhere between surprised and annoyed at that, but she answered, "Everything here is off the record, now. So… granted."

"This whole system kind of sucks," Morgan said flatly. "I get that it's like an ongoing tradition and it seems like it mostly 'works', but… Are these Games keeping people entertained _while_ Hoenn's bigger problems are being fixed or _instead of_ fixing them?"

"! _Excuse_ me but-"

"I mean I know some efforts have been made to keep Aqua and Magma in check, but that they've had the means to get away with as much as they have with such slow and minimal responses seems to suggest a lot about the region's failing infrastruct-"

"That's _enough_," Genevieve snapped. "Devon does its-" She stopped then, and pursed her lips before calming down and taking a deep breath. "It's not as simple as it sounds, all right? There's a certain… _balance_ that has to be maintained, and sometimes figuring out where exactly that ideal spot is… Well it just gets very complicated. I'm sure you can find better things to spend our time on than getting into all _those_ boring details."

"Uh-huh." Well, it wasn't like it was her problem. Which was to say, it kind of was, but the bar was set so low that she couldn't be bothered to push the issue, so whatever. … Ha, while she was pushing buttons… "Well if we need a subject change… Care to fill me in on what exactly happened with New Mauville and Sea Mauville?"

"_Where_ did you even _hear_-" Genevieve's mouth clamped shut, though her eyes remained wide a few more seconds before she took a deep breath, then another, and then offered Morgan a pleasant smile. "Oh, but speaking of Sea things! It does _so_ relieve me that those Aqua brutes didn't hurt you. Have I emphasized that yet? I mean it's good no one outside their own ranks has been harmed in general, but I _was_ especially worried for you, and not just as your sponsor."

"... Mm." Morgan wasn't really sure what to say to that, but… She did actually believe it. And that was a nice feeling.

"I really do hope this will quell any concerns about your loyalties, as well. Although I suppose some may still be unnerved by how friendly he seemed toward you…"

Morgan shrugged. "I think that's just the sort of guy he is, honestly. Sometimes the nicest people are still batshit crazy." Giving her sponsor a bit of a sideglance, then, she added, "And sometimes, brash and officious people are surprisingly big-hearted."

Genevieve flustered at that, fumbling a few moments before saying simply, "Yes, well." She stood and straightened her dress. "I shouldn't keep my escorts waiting too long, I suppose."

"Of course," hummed Morgan. "See you around~"

She did not reply at first, simply double-checking she had all her things and making her way toward the door, but when Morgan stood as well, she stopped and came back, wrapping the young trainer in a tight hug. "Please be careful out there."

Morgan froze for a few moments before mumbling, "I will."

Morgan waited a minute after Genevieve left to follow her out, partially to think over events but mostly just to avoid having to walk with her now while feeling awkward. When she did leave, she decided to head the direction Sera and Professor Dad had gone, to the far side of the Center, to see if they were also done yet. Odd. When did she actually start _wanting_ to spend time with-

"-that, did you?!" Oh wow that sounded at least a few rooms away. Morgan was only catching every few words but someone was pretty upset about something. "-ever consider- … -BEST FOR- ... -ALL YOU CAN FUCKING THINK ABOUT-"

As Morgan drew closer, it became all the clearer just how enraged- was that Professor Birch's voice?

There was a tiny squeak that could only have been Sera, though Morgan couldn't make out what she'd said.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT."

Morgan stopped a few feet away from the door and leaned against the wall to eavesdrop, not that she needed the help to hear Birch.

"-are asking ME questions, doubting ME, because YOU up and decided to just SIT BACK and let Team Magma do WHATEVE-"

"I didn't le-"

There was a sudden loud sound, followed by "DO **NOT** INTERRUPT ME."

It was silent for a few moments before Sera finally said something about "just froze".

A sarcastic laugh. "Oh. You JUST froze. Is THAT all! You lying, WORTHLESS little-" Morgan bit her lip at the sound of Sera's pained scream. "A _TERRORIST LEADER_ was AS _GOOD AS DEAD_ and YOU opted to SAVE HIS LIFE. This could have been HALF _OVER_ if not for YOUR-"

With a sudden desperation, she cried back, "He's still a _perso_-" A much louder sound cut her off this time, including what was surely furniture being knocked over.

"DO. **NOT.** GIVE ME-"

Okay Morgan couldn't do this. Throwing consequence to the wind, she moved to knock firmly at the door, and the room fell silent. After a few moments, Morgan said in a pleasant tone, "Excuse me, Professor? I think everyone else is getting ready to leave."

Another few seconds, and the door slid open. Professor Birch gave her his hearty smile, and in a jesting tone said, "I guess time must have slipped away from me there! Thank you, Morgan, for letting me know." With a look back to Sera, he asked, "I trust we won't have any more _slip-ups_, isn't that right, dear?"

Sera's face was red, her hair a mess, and she stood with a very guarded posture; yet the tears in her eyes refused to fall and she wore a smile as she answered, "Yes sir."

Birch smiled wider at them both and bid them adieu.

Only once he had rounded the corner down the hall did Morgan enter the room herself. "Oh my gods, are you okay?"

But Sera forced a small laugh and shook her head. "I'm fine."

"...Sera." Morgan looked between her face, the toppled chair next to her, the arm she was clutching tightly. "_Sera, no_. Nothing about this looks fine."

Sera set the chair upright again and took a seat, replying, "No, really. I just… I need a minute, but I'll be fine."

Morgan crossed her arms as she moved closer. "Has… Has he always been like this?"

Sera shook her head, still holding a weak smile in place. "No, he's usually not _this_ bad. He almost never actually hits me or anything, and when he does get physical it's _usually_ just my hair."

"... _Sera_. That's not-"

"Morgan I'm _fine._ I figured I had this coming once I saw he made the trip out here so I was even mostly ready for it this time."

Morgan made a series of confused gestures. "'_This-'_ Any times is too- What could _possibly_ justify-"

"I'm sure you could hear. I froze up in Meteor Falls, I let Team Magma get away, I saved a dangerous man's life, and I went repeatedly against the organization I'm supposed to be doubly representing." Her lip had begun to quiver as she fought to keep the smile from turning to a grimace. "I couldn't- How could I not expect to be punished for all that?"

Morgan rubbed her temples. She opted not to get into the fact that her own 'punishment' had been a calm verbal reprimand and a 'don't do it again (or else)'. "Let's pretend for argument's sake that I agree with that. You said this isn't the only time it's happened, and I have a hard time believing that you're accused of conspiracy and treason too terribly often."

Sera forced a laugh and shook her head. "I just… I can't believe you've known me this long and you even have to ask. I mess up... _everything_."

"...Sera-"

"I space out and forget things _constantly._"

"Okay no, you are a walking encycl-"

"Pokemon," Sera interrupted her. "I'm good at Pokemon. I can tell you every Pokemon's method of evolution and every rule of the Games and every type match-up if you quiz me, but the sweetest Pikachu that ever lived is dead because I can't even keep _those_ straight in practice."

Morgan opened her mouth, but couldn't find words. Instead, she opted to squeeze into the chair next to Sera, which was little problem with Morgan's bony frame; she hesitantly put an arm around Sera, who did not react one way or the other.

"You remember the day we met, right? We were heading out specifically to work with Pokemon, and I still walked right off and forgot mine. And I do things like _all the time_."

"...To be fair, I kind of threw off your rou-"

"I break down under pressure and I can't get anything done when it really matters."

"Okay you _literally_ saved a minimum of two lives yesterday."

"I- I guess, but one of them-"

"Was still a person," Morgan finished for her, taking her own words.

"A… a person who was actively hurting me and threatening everything I care about-"

"Sera."

"-and I can't even bring myself to hate him because I'm just-"

"_Sera._"

"...just a naive little girl." Her smile was long gone by now, and tears had started to well again. "I'm sheltered and annoying and selfish and-.. I try to act big and important but I-"

"Sera I swear."

"I guess I just thought if I could prove I was the Very Best Trainer that everyone would ignore how bad I am at everything else but-"

"If you think I'm going to let you clam up every time someone raises their voice at you but then just keep rambling like this to tear yourself down…"

"I'm _not_, though. I'm not being _hard_ on myself, I'm just acknowledging the-"

"Sera I swear to the god we personally met that I am about to shut you up in the most cliche way possible if you don't stop."

It took Sera a few seconds to process that, at which point she genuinely laughed. "Oh no, _please_ don't throw me in the briar patch," she faux-pleaded. Lightly rolling her eyes, she added, "You wouldn't anyway."

… Morgan was tempted to take that as a challenge. "What makes you so sure?"

"You made it pretty clear you don't like me that way, for one, and there are no cameras to tease right now." … About that… "But for two, you're conscientious enough to know I'm vulnerable and kissing me right now wouldn't be a good idea for either of us."

"... Right. There's that." Now that she said it, at least…

A moment passed, and Sera gave a more strained laugh. "Though I guess… it would probably serve me right. I never did apologize for kissing you the other… week, I guess? But I realize now that was… probably pretty shitty of me to spring on you."

"... Yyyeah, I uh-.."

"I think…" She laughed again. "I think some part of me hoped it might? Make you like me, or something? Which was obviously a stupid plan and probably just made you think I was weirder. Because flirting is apparently yet another thing I'm bad-"

Morgan spun Sera to face her and didn't _quite_ kiss her, but pushed her forehead against Sera's in a clear threat to do so, her blue eyes locked on Sera's red. "_Hey._ No. _Listen_. You are _great_. You are smart and cute and helpful and sweet and I am not going to listen to this. Repeat after me: You are _great._"

…

…

… "You are great." Morgan's wide-eyed death glare made her laugh, but Morgan kept her from turning away.

"_No. YOU. You_ are great. … You- You are literally one of my favorite people in the entire world!"

Sera laughed harder. "I'm one of the only people you _know_ in this entire-"

"_Not the point._"

Sera couldn't stop giggling long enough to respond now, so Morgan just… gave up and pulled Sera's head against her chest to hug her tight instead. "I don't want to hear you beating yourself up again, okay?" Sera still didn't answer, but Morgan decided that was better than arguing, at least.

Eventually, Sera returned the hug, and once she quieted down, they just sat for a few minutes in silence.

"...Hey Morgan?" she eventually asked.

"Hm?"

"Do…" She took a deep breath, but did not look up from the embrace. "Do you actually _like_ me, or were you just… Trying to cheer me up, or calm me down."

Morgan blinked. "...I think we just had this conversation, of course I-"

"Romantically, I mean."

"Oh." She thought on that harder. "I… Honestly, I can't tell if I genuinely like you, or if I just like the idea of you liking me…? I'm… sorry that's probably not a very good answer."

But Sera pushed back enough to shake her head and smile and Morgan now. "It's good enough for me." That was… oddly relieving, Morgan found. After a few more seconds, Sera asked, "So… Is that offer still on the table, by any chance?"

"...What offer?"

Sera leaned in even closer than Morgan had, such that their lips did not quite touch, but Morgan could feel Sera's breath on hers when she cooed, "This one."

Morgan was relatively certain her face was not as dark as her hair right this moment, but she may have guessed it a shade darker than Sera's. Floundering for an answer, she eventually snarked, "...And you said you're bad at flirting."

Sera burst into another fit of giggles even as she leaned in the final inch. Rather than a single small kiss, or a long passionate one, Sera kissed her quickly, lightly, and repeatedly. Some lasted a little longer than others, and some began to stray from her lips. Morgan found the laughter catching on as Sera kissed her cheek, her forehead, the tip of her nose…

Morgan began returning the favor, until it became something of a silly battle to see who could kiss the other more unexpectedly without being intercepted. A game that Sera soon won when she allowed Morgan to kiss her cheek only to lean down and nibble at Morgan's neck, eliciting a small gasp. "_That's cheating_," Morgan hissed, though her protest was not exactly adamant.

"Mmm, my memory seems to be failing again," Sera responded coyly. "_What_ was that thing they say about love and war?"

Morgan put on her best pout, but then retorted, "Well if all's fair-"

She attempted something akin to a close range pounce only to elicit an "_Ow!_"

"Shit what did I do?"

But Sera assured her, "Oh, no you're fine, you just bumped against my arm and it's still kind of sore. It uh.. It might end up bruising a little, but I should be-"

"Have you ever told anyone?" Morgan asked suddenly.

"...That my arm is bruising?"

...Morgan resisted the urge to facepalm, if barely. "_No_, about _your dad._"

"...Oh…" She bit her lip. "I mean… Mom knows, obviously. She used to get a lot more than I did, but they seem to be doing better lately. I'm not sure if that's because it's shifted more to me or if it's coincidence or if I just see it less, but I… do admit I've been a bit worried since I left home."

"...I see."

Sera smiled and offered, "But hey! She seems pretty happy whenever I talk to her."

_And you've always seem happy when I talk to you_, Morgan thought. Though, in retrospect, she supposed there might have been a few things that suddenly made more sense…

"And really, Spitfire should be a little extra safety net, too. Did I tell you? She seems to be doing a lot better too. Mom said she actually slept through the whole night last- or, I guess it was night before last."

"Oh, congratz! Or, to Spitfire, by proxy, I guess…" This definitely made sense. Ssh. But back to the matter at hand. "Why don't you report it, though?"

Sera frowned, then sighed. "Morgan… He's one of the most powerful people in all of Hoenn. If the worst thing he ever does under stress like that is scream a lot and slap me around once or twice a year, I think it's better not to get the entire country in a stir over it. Besides, since he's been better with mom and I'll probably be getting my own place after the Games, it's not like it'll really be an issue for much longer."

… _That's still not OKAY…_ Morgan thought with a grumble. If she were inclined to make protest vocal and start another argument she knew Sera wasn't going to concede right now, though, that inclination was interrupted by the sound of the Center's PA:

"_Morgan Fail, your Pokemon are now ready for pickup at the front desk. Morgan Fail._"

Sera covered her mouth and half-stifled her laugh at the most blatant mispronunciation of Morgan's surname yet.

Morgan stood and rolled her eyes dramatically. "_Maker's breath_, you would think after stopping two madmen bent on world destruction people could be bothered to learn how to say Fayel."

"I dunno," teased Sera. "I think it kind of suits you."

Morgan leered. "Watch it. Just because you're cute doesn't mean you can get away with insulting my family name like that."

"Mm?"

"...I mean. I don't actually care much about what little family I have left, and the feeling is pretty mutual, but the _name_, dammit! I shall uphold this particular collection of phonetic projections, by the gods!" Sera could barely breathe, and Morgan flashed her a grin. "Anyway, we should probably get going. We've got another badge to get, right?"

As she finally settled down once more and got to her own feet, Sera answered, "Yeah, you're right. ...Race you!"

Sera took off down the hall, but Morgan just chuckled and followed at a leisurely pace. After all, they hadn't called for Sera's pickup yet, so it didn't really matter how quickly she got to the-

"_Sera Birch, your Pokemon are now-_"

Shit. "Wait up!"

* * *

(A/N: Morgan's player just pointed out to me that this ended up being posted on Father's Day. I... That sure wasn't my intention but now I can't stop laughing at the coincidence.)


	17. The Calm Before

Or… not, as it seemed Leader Mura was still recovering after his own bout with Team Aqua a few days before. Of course, they also realized a little belatedly that it would probably be best to wait until they had their Navs back before taking such a big step anyway.

Which meant Sera and Morgan had some time to kill.

"Huh," said Morgan. "Well, I guess it's a chance to get some more training in first."

"Yeah," agreed Sera. "... Orrrrr…"

"...Or?"

"Or you know what's right next to this particular Center?" Sera asked with a suspicion-inducing grin.

Morgan hadn't been paying much attention when they arrived, given all the chaos. "...Dare I ask what?" Rather than answer, Sera took her hand and dragged her outside to the entrance of- "...Oh."

"The Lavaridge hot spring is one of the most luxurious spots in all of Hoenn~! When we set out on this journey, I was kind of hoping there'd be time to visit when I got here, but now we've got nothing _but_ time and can even go _together_, and-" Sera squealed with delight and gave a little spin.

As cute as that was, Morgan retained her flat expression as she just responded, "I uh… I don't have any sort of swimwear though."

"Hm? Aww, well I'm sure there are plenty of shops in town that'll sell that sort of thing." Sera giggled. "We can go shopping together again~"

Morgan winced slightly. "Yyyeah, about that. I've been starting to have second thoughts about _this shirt_. It's not even that bad and really comfortable, and it still just feels… a little too girly for my taste."

Sera blinked. "I think it's cute."

"Not the point. I'm saying given Hoenn's apparent attitude toward clothes, I can just... _imagine_ how hard it's gonna be to find _swimwear_ I'm comfortable wearing. Let alone comfortable having other people see me in, if this place is as popular as it sounds. And I just. I don't really want to deal with that right now, sorry."

"Oh…" answered Sera. "Okay, that's fair." Morgan could tell she was disappointed though, and tried to think of something else they could do Together instead, but before she could come up with anything Sera's eyes lit mischievously. "Or…"

Oh gods she was going to dread that word before the day was over wasn't she. "Or?"

"You're not the only person a little apprehensive about a public spring, you know." ...Okay? "And they know that. So if we're willing to pay more, we _could_ get our own private area…" Oh, that might not be quite as bad. Wait what was with that look and why was Sera leaning in so close now? "...Where you might not even…" she went on, quieter, "_need_ any sort of swimwear…"

"Oh?" What, did they allow street clothes in- "..._O-oh…_" Morgan's face heated bright red. "I-I uh…"

"No pressure," Sera said more brightly, resuming a slightly more casual distance. "But I figured since this might be the most guaranteed privacy we'll have for a _while_, it wouldn't hurt to put the offer on the table, mmmm~?"

This was all a little… unexpected. Certainly Morgan had grown fond of the girl, but did she reall- "O-okay," she heard herself stuttering. ...Gods dammit Morgan, hold up there. "Er- I mean, uh. I might not… mind a soak, like that. Not… _necessarily_ saying I'd be interested in anything more."

Sera chuckled softly. "That's fine."

"...Also not necessarily saying I'm not."

She laughed a little harder. "Whatever happens is fine by me." She then took Morgan's hand again and gave it a light squeeze before leading her inside.

* * *

It turned out Raikou had really done a number on their Navs- which was to say, it took a while to figure out what it even broke. After a few days of testing and trial-and-error, the technicians charged with the job would eventually replace about half the components before the Navs happened to work again and still have no idea exactly what the problem had been, though "divine intervention" was certainly one option on the list, even as scientifically-minded as they were.

In the _meantime, _though, Morgan and Sera had quite a busy few days.

Since they missed their Route 114 captures, and it may be some time before they were able to travel out that way again, the League decided that just this once, they could search Eggslist for any Pokemon known to inhabit the route and purchase one instead of catching. If they did, it would count for that route's credit, while opting against it would leave it open… eventually.

Morgan found several Surskit were available, and couldn't resist getting one in honor of Maple. (In honor of. That was why. She wasn't 'replacing' her or anything, of course. Definitely not.) The new addition was named Linger.

Sera was tempted by a cute Swablu, raving a bit about how great Lisia's Altaria was on the contest stage, but ultimately decided she'd wait on the off chance she could eventually get a Zangoose, with none of those currently on the market.

They also finally remembered to deal with the Zubat they'd caught on accident back in the falls. Sera Wonder Traded hers, receiving a Mightyena, though she decided she was more likely to ask for Spitfire back eventually than to use this new one, given she was pretty sure Spitfire had only been one or two battles away from evolving herself. Still, it was nice that she'd be able to give her mom this new pet in her place if she did decide to do so. But for now, the new Pokemon just went into storage.

Meanwhile, Morgan opted to keep her Zubat, citing that Archie's Golbat had been surprisingly impressive, and seemed like the sort of thing that might be handy to have. Said Zubat was named Nox.

After the hot springs, much of the remainder of the first day and most of the second was spent casually training some of their less-utilized Pokemon. Nothing major. Practicing moves, aiming for targets. They had a few very controlled "sparring" matches pitting some of their weaker Pokemon against much stronger opponents giving the latter orders to stay primarily defensive. Pokemon like Tank and Mithril helped their weaker Pokemon learn to handle bulky opponents, while Flash and Cerberus made excellent moving targets to help with speed and accuracy training.

It drove Flash crazy that Cerberus was a little inherently faster than him now, though it drove Cerberus crazy that Flash's Speed Boost could still get him temporarily faster even in his smaller and weaker form. More than once, the two wound up in a spat and had to be separated.

Throughout these training sessions, Morgan and especially Sera often found themselves distracted by flirting, stealing kisses whenever no other humans seemed to be around, and so-forth. More than once, the Pokemon had to stop training because their trainers were too busy giggling or making out to give orders.

* * *

On the third day, they received word that Mt. Chimney had been thoroughly searched and deemed safe and clear, so they headed out to Jagged Pass for a hike, a capture chance, and more training.

Morgan quickly caught a Spoink who she named Lustre. She'd filled only five slots in her party that morning precisely to be able to keep and train the new Pokemon, and was quite pleased with the cute little pig.

A few minutes later, Sera managed to trip over a Spoink as well. Quite literally. And once she was able to collect herself after the initial fall, she realized that the Spoink had been knocked over, and was struggling to get up. "Ohmygods are you-"

It clearly was _not_ okay, and she scrambled to set it upright, pulling it down as much as she could against the ground before releasing it to give it the best start she could in getting bouncing again. The Spoink was disoriented, and shaken, but… well, as grateful as one could expect from someone who was saved by the very person who put them in danger in the first place.

"I'm so sorry," Sera murmured. "I promise I'll watch where I'm going more, and you try to do the same, all right?" The Spoink reluctantly agreed, then bounced away.

"... Annnd there goes your potential capture, huh," commented Morgan.

"... Oh. Well shit." Morgan couldn't help but laugh.

Watching each other battle wild Pokemon and the other trainers who were coming back to the mountain trail was sometimes entertaining, but not very efficient, so they soon agreed to split up- and, to make it more interesting, to see who could make it to the top and back first.

Morgan's day proved incredibly productive. Nox the Zubat evolved into a Golbat, and Linger the Surskit into a Masquerain. Her Skitty and Furfrou, both as adorable and fun to use as she hoped, also both got in a lot of good battles.

The Furfrou, which she'd named Victoria, seemed to have no idea her fur was completely unkempt and carried herself with all the pride of a show dog. It _almost_ made Morgan halfway interested in contests, just to see how Victoria would do. Hell, she might temporarily trade her to Sera some time just to find out without having to do it herself.

Meanwhile, Skitty, who she'd not settled on a name for yet, was easily one of the cutest Pokemon she'd encountered, but clearly used that to her advantage. On more than one occasion, an opposing trainer had been distracted by "awwww" only to have Skitty pounce unexpectedly. In that way, she supposed Skitty reminded her a bit of Sera. ..Heh. That seemed a little too overt to use as a name, but she might keep that in mind when eventually picking one.

Sera's successes were less apparent, but she did feel like everyone got a lot of good experience from the day… and one particularly bad one.

One trainer who challenged her had a Hariyama. No big deal, of course. Wings would readily take out the Fighting-type. The terrifying Swellow employed his deadly Aerial Ace…

And the Hariyama did not faint.

It was hurt. Severely! It didn't look like it could take much more. _But it remained conscious and fighting_.

Sera was a little worried at first when the Hariyama's Force Palm hit and Wings did not immediately retaliate. Had it done more damage than expected? No, her Nav didn't give the reading for a critical hit. So…?

Eventually, Wings launched another attack to secure the win, but after the battle, she approached him. "Hey. You okay?"

_It didn't… How did it persist?_

"Hm?"

_With my advantage it should not have endured that attack. This can't… This cannot be. This is unacceptable._

"Oh. Yeah, Hariyama are really bulky. A lot more defensively-oriented than most Fighting-types," Sera told him. "Or maybe not defense as much as… endurance? But-"

At this point it became clear Wings was talking to himself more than having a conversation with her. _I was supposed to be the chosen one. I am the instrument of destruction and change. I- I was meant to be… Was the prophecy wrong? Have I been living a lie?_

Sera chuckled awkwardly despite the fact he didn't seem to be listening. "Do you mean because I named you Death On Wings, because that wasn't really…"

_My efforts must be redoubled. I have grown complacent. Weak. I must prove myself to the Great One. I must… I must…_

… "O… kay, I think it's time for a little rest now. I'm sure you'll be fine once the shock wears off." He still did not respond, and she recalled him only mostly-believing her own words.

Meanwhile, Morgan was making great time. She couldn't believe she'd gotten so much done and still looked like she'd make it down first. A little ways behind her, she could make out with Sera- _ahem_, she could visually _make out Sera-_ in a battle with a wild Pokemon. Ahead, she could see another trainer headed up the mountain, as well as a little more winding trail to one side. If she veered now, she could probably skirt around and avoid battling with the trainer, but she couldn't tell just how far out of her way the other path would take her, and if she ended up in a battle there too, Sera would almost certainly get ahead. Whereas with the straight shot, as long as she was able to make quick work of her opponent… Well, what could one more-

Gods dammit Lustre died. This was worse than Maple. She'd had the Spoink for _hours_. Not even overnight.

Morgan _barely_ beat Sera to the bottom, winning the race for which there'd been no stakes but bragging rights, and she didn't feel like bragging.

Fortunately, their evening was more pleasant. Both were fairly sore after the steep hike, and Sera suggested another trip to the springs would be the perfect way to unwind and forget the troubles of the day. Maybe even go for spa treatment this time. Morgan couldn't deny that a massage sounded heavenly, and found herself wondering if they served Pokemon here like they did in Mauville, though she didn't bother asking.

When they got there, however…

"Oh, goodness! It's really you!" an elderly woman exclaimed. "You're Morgan-… Forgive me, dear. Is it 'Fayl' or 'Fa-yel'?"

Morgan stared, dumbstruck. "... You are officially my favorite fan in all of Hoenn."

Sera laughed. "The second one," she said for Morgan.

Turning to another old woman maybe fifteen yards away, she shouted, "I told you, Mavis! I told you them media clowns had to be saying it wrong!"

Mavis made a few displeased sounds and muttered something about "You'll get your money, Hazel" and "you old Crobat".

Hazel turned back to Morgan. "Oh, I'm so honored to meet you, though. I knew there was something special about you right away, but the way you battled against those-" She made a few frustrated sounds and gestures that could only be meant to indicate the Teams.

"Uh, thanks," said Morgan.

"My, but I have enjoyed watching your journey. One of the most exciting I've seen. 'Course, having such an entitled little rival doesn't-" Sera cleared her throat. "..Oh!" Hazel chuckled nervously. "Sorry dear. For what it's worth, you've grown on me a bit. Just not so fond of the_ idea_ of someone of your position challenging people who had to work for it."

Sera cringed slightly. "N-no, I do get it…" After another moment, she put back on a smile and added, "I'm really glad you're such a fan of Morgan, though! I couldn't have asked for a better rival."

Morgan suddenly found herself thinking how hilarious it would be to grab Sera's ass right now. Just as sneakily and nonchalantly as possible. Not even acknowledge it after. She could imagine her cute little squeak as she jumped, and the looks they'd get. ...Which, while hilarious in her head, were also exactly the reason she ended up keeping her hands to herself.

...Annnd she'd spaced out while fantasizing there. "I- Sorry, I was… Wha'd you say?"

"I asked if you'd be willing to accept a gift from me," Hazel said. She then produced a sky blue egg maybe eight inches from top to bottom. "I just know you'd be a perfect trainer for this little one."

"..Uuhhh, I'm actually not very good with kids. ...Sera? I've gotten more Pokemon lately than you, do you-"

But Sera laughed. "Aw c'mon. Baby Pokemon aren't much more dependent than grown ones, and she's offering it to _you_ as a _fan._"

Morgan still wasn't sure. "Can… we even do that? Take stuff from…?"

Sera blinked. "Yeah? I mean of course. That's part of the reason you want to try to be a crowd-pleaser. Keeping your ratings high keeps your sponsor happy, but if you can earn enough favor with the right people it can net you some serious help on your journey, too. I'm a little surprised you haven't gotten any gifts so far. ...Though, I suppose that might be my fault.." It wasn't a confession, really; more of a musing, almost a question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I asked fans not to send _me_ anything unless they thought I _really_ needed it. You know, to make sure it was really challenging?" Mavis rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'privilege', but Sera went on. "So I guess it's possible people have been holding back for you, too, to try to keep it 'fair' or whatever."

"Or they just don't like me," Morgan mumbled.

"..Orrrr, they think you're doing great and don't need it," added Sera.

"I guess. When did you say that, anyway?"

"I..? During my kickoff interview. Don't you remember? You were right there."

"... I'm gonna be honest. I so did not even slightly care about that whole event at the time," said Morgan with a slightly guilty laugh.

Sera rolled her eyes affectionately. "Right, of course. But hey! You've got an offer now. I say take it! We'll just have to report it when we get back to the Center, but it's a free Pokemon."

"Huh." Morgan thought it over a little more, but eventually decided, "All right. Well, thank you very much."

As Hazel handed over the egg, she said, "Just keep giving it your best out there."

* * *

On their fourth morning waking up in Lavaridge, Morgan and Sera finally got their Navs back, as well as news that Mura's granddaughter, Flannery, would be taking over his gym indefinitely, and possibly permanently.

"Aww," said Sera. "I was looking forward to facing him, too."

Meanwhile, Morgan shrugged. "A badge is a badge."

"Yeah… I guess."

Morgan decided she was actually still really tired, and while she'd have liked to see Sera battle in theory, her more practical side said double-teaming the Gym Trainers probably wasn't as climactic for viewers, so she just asked Sera not to leave town until they both had their badges. Sera agreed, suggesting that would be an amazing time for their next rival battle as a means of deciding who got to leave first. Morgan agreed, then went back to bed while Sera went to challenge the Lavaridge gym.

Of course, Tank would readily handle-

What? Who let this small child in here? He was hiding under the water when Sera entered the room, and he had only _a Koffing_ so Sera absolutely could not believe he was a legitimate gym trainer, but okay… She guessed she still couldn't run from a fight…

And was glad she didn't! Unlike _some_ Koffing trainers, this one actually let his Pokemon make it through the battle. But Flash was able to take it down pretty easily, and as the Koffing fell, the Combusken began to glow.

Soon, a figure even taller than Cerberus stood before her, flames blazing brightly around his wrists, so much radiant energy pouring from him that it was evaporating the water and creating a thin veil of steam. As her fire starter turned around to flash her a smirk, Sera found the voice of a particular cartoon playing in her head: _Oh no he's hot…_

She was(… mostly) joking, of course. It wasn't like she'd never seen a Blaziken before, and she wasn't one of _those_ trainers. Although the deeper crimson red, stark white accents, and the way the moisture in the air combined with his natural glistening feathers to be _extra_ reflective of the light from his fire, resulting in a super _extra_ Shiny appearance, was certainly a very aesthetically pleasing sight. As a Torchic his coloration had been impossible to miss, but as a Combusken it was a little underwhelming. Now, though, she found herself more proud than ever of her crown jewel of a Pokemon.

As they moved on, Sera also faced a girl with only a Meditite, and _another_ kid with a Koffing? Seriously, who the_ hell_ was in charge of hiring these gym trainers? Had Flannery just offered any given local free use of the gym's hot springs if they'd battle on her behalf? Sera was starting to suspect as much. That cheap-

"Ohmygods," she found herself saying the moment Flannery came into sight. The girl could not have been much over five feet tall and looked even younger than Sera. "You are _adorable_."

Flannery's face flushed. "What? Uh- I mean… WELCOME!" she suddenly shouted, expression fierce. Almost immediately she fumbled again. "Er, wait, I mean… PUNY TRAINER! You've done well to make it this far!"

Sera was starry-eyed. "Ohhhhh my gooooods, can I just-? You are _precious._"

"AM NOT," Flannery protested. "I- You'd better not underestimate me just because I"m new! Now shut up and fight me!"

Though truth be told, in Sera's mind those words were actually "fite me".

And Tank finally got his chance to shine, readily taking down all her Pokemon. When it was over, he… looked back at her with a smile. Still a Marshtomp. ...Sera waited a moment. Still a Marshtomp. ...Oh. She'd been… she really thought… okay.

But once she accepted that, she realized Flannery looked ready to cry. "I- I… I tried and I… It just…"

"AWW! Oh sweetie _no_, you did _great! _This was definitely just as good as any gym battle I've had, honest."

"R-really?"

Sera nodded. "Just because I'm really good doesn't mean you're not, too! Your job is to challenge us, not to beat everyone all the time. You're gonna do great, I just know it~"

Flannery seemed to feel a lot better for that. She presented Sera with her badge and TM, and Sera headed back to the Center just in time to catch Morgan heading out.

She flashed Morgan her new badge, and told her, "Best of luck~"

"Nice," Morgan congratulated. They stopped as they passed, and Morgan considered their Navs back in action. ...Fuck it. Fans were supposed to love having something to gossip about, right? So she leaned in and quickly stole a kiss from Sera. "For luck," she justified.

Sera blushed wide-eyed for a moment, but then found herself grinning. "Sure you don't want a little more~?"

Morgan considered it, but decided to play coy in kind. "Naaah, that's probably plenty."

Sera put on a pouty face. "Teeease."

By the time Morgan made it to the Gym, all the Pokemon had been rejuvenated or swapped out, but she made it through with little problem.

Until Flannery.

Manowar had been vital up to that point, but he was getting worn out, and Numel's Earth Power was almost more than he could take. So Morgan switched to Mithril, desperately hoping xir defensive prowess would be enough to make up for xir type disadvantage.

Against Numel, it was.

Against Torkoal, it wasn't.

As Overheat engulfed the Metang, xir eyes faded to black, and xe clanged to the ground.

Morgan's brain momentarily shut off as processing the event became too much to handle. How- If- What had she- Could she have done things differently?

Flannery cringed. "Oh, geez... Sorry about that. You got a Revive at least?"

_Right._ "Y-yeah, I do…" Morgan was now so… so, _so _glad. So _very_ glad she hadn't revived Maple or Lustre. All right… But first she had to finish this battle. This Torkoal was powerful, but slow, and already whittled down a little… Maybe if she could hit hard enough fast enough…?

So she sent in Cerberus. "Double Chop!" she called.

The Sceptile swooped in, delivering a powerful blow that left the Torkoal clinging to consciousness, and another that was severely overkill. Morgan's Nav made a beep to alert her of a critical hit, just as Flannery called out in horror.

"Oh, shit. Uh…" Not intending to sound as mocking as she probably did, she echoed, "You got a Revive, at least…?"

"...Take your badge and go," Flannery answered, throwing the badge and diskette her way.

"Oh. Uh, yeah I'll just… Sorry."

* * *

Just outside the Center, on the opposite side from the hot springs, Morgan noticed Sera setting up some targets. Sera noticed her in kind, and called, "Heeey! How'd it go?"

"I uh… I won, but… I've gotta revive Mithril now, so… Rain check on the rival battle?"

"AW! Oh _no_. I'm so sorry, and yes of course." She thought on it a bit more, then added, "It's still pretty early, so they might be finished by this afternoon or evening, but it'll be pretty late to leave town by then. So we can try to have our battle either at sunset or dawn, and leave out tomorrow morning."

Morgan nodded. "Sounds good to me." Looking around, and welcoming the subject change, she asked, "So what are you doing here?"

"Ah. I'm pretty sure Tank is super close to evolving-" she gestured to the Marshtomp- "so I figured a quick training session might be enough to push him over the edge before we battled."

"Makes sense," said Morgan. "I guess I'm gonna go drop Mithril off, but I might come back out later if you're here a while."

"All right. I hope you get to feeling better," said Sera. Just as Morgan started to turn away though, a thought hit her. "Oh shit. ...Permission to make a slightly insensitive comment since you're on your way to revive xir and xe should be fine soon?"

"... All right, I probably deserve it. Shoot."

With a guilty grin, Sera snarked, "Turns out you should have kissed me more after all~"

Morgan laughed despite herself. "Okay, I _definitely_ deserved that. You little shit." Sera stuck out her tongue, and Morgan rolled her eyes. "But yeah, I'm gonna go. Good luck with the training."

"Thanks~" Sera turned her attention back to the targets. "All right, Tank. Let's see how quickly you can hit all of these with Mud Bombs."

"Marshtomp!" Tank let loose a singular well-aimed Mud Bomb to hit the first target. "... ... ... Swampert?"

… Sera facepalmed. "Just _couldn't_ do it at the gym, could you," she laughed. "Hey Morgan, wait up!"


	18. The Storm

By sunset, Mithril was back and ready, and though Morgan was now fresh out of Revives, it was well worth it to have such a valued party member back in one piece.

Releasing xir just to make sure, she asked, "You feeling okay to battle now?"

Mithril offered a happily affirmative series of beeps in response, and Morgan even imagined xir answering _yes sir._ With a soft laugh, Morgan answered, "Good to hear it." Recalling the Metang, she headed out to the edge of town to meet Sera for their battle.

As always, their Navs counted down. _3… 2… 1… _

"Go, Manowar." / "Go, Octillery!"

"Toxic Spikes," ordered Morgan.

"_What?_" Sera was sincerely taken aback; Morgan had clearly been reading up on some strategies. She wasn't sure whether she should be proud or angry. "I-.. Signal Beam," she ordered. It did… very little.

"Another layer," said Morgan.

"You little shit. Focus Energy."

Morgan decided that was enough, and swapped out for Sceptile, while Octillery used a second Focus Energy. Had that been enough to actually land a crit, the Ice Beam that followed may have been devastating, but it wasn't, and Cerberus was put to maybe half health at worst.

"Double Chop," ordered Morgan, and Octillery was knocked out cold.

"Not bad," said Sera. "Let's see how you like Wings, though." Morgan decided not much at all, and swapped Cerberus for Mithril.

As such, the Aerial Ace Wings landed did effectively nothing, and after his crisis the day before, complete failure to even do noticeable damage got him pretty shaken. _No.._ he whimpered. _No, no, the Great One will be displeased…_

"...Wings, it's okay," Sera tried to reassure him, though she was reaching for his ball again either way.

_Fear not, brother._ Sera heard Mithril's quiet voice like an echo of whispers, even more eerie than before.

_...You…?_ asked Wings.

"_Ooo_-kay that's enough of that," Sera said, quickly recalling the Swellow.

_Your efforts are futile,_ said Mithril. Xe had no mouth, but Sera swore there was a smile in xir voice.

As Sera sent out Tank- promptly poisoned by the spikes littering the ground- Mithril employed an Iron Defense. Tank's Mud Bomb did quite a lot of damage- significantly more than Mithril's Zen Headbutt, at any rate.

This prompted Morgan to switch back to Sceptile, who didn't much mind the next Mud Bomb. Sera, in turn, switched back to Wings, who endured Dual Chop surprisingly well. Morgan, in turn, switched back to Mithril.

"...We could do this all day," Sera commented, as Wings let loose a Boomburst. In sharp contrast to the first time he'd used it against Mithril, the attack did surprisingly mediocre damage. "Oh dear.."

Morgan did think it best to avoid too many of those just in case, however, and swapped Mithril for Manowar.

_This time_, Boomburst crit for over half damage, and Wings seemed to regain some confidence from that. He managed to get in an Aerial Ace before Manowar was able to move, but that Water Pulse was formidable too. Both Pokemon looked to be on their last leg. Taking no more chances, Wings let out another Boomburst, knocking the Tentacruel out cold.

Morgan sent out Skitty next. Wings's Aerial Ace hit pretty squarely, but a cute lullaby from Skitty put the Swellow to sleep. Despite the negative impact on her, Sera found herself saying, "...Aaawwww!"

"Wake-Up Slap."

"D: Wait no." That was significantly less cute, and woke Wings for only a fraction of a second before knocking him right back out.

Sera replaced him with Flash, wincing as he was poisoned. Morgan swapped for Mithril again, but Flame Charge quickly finished xir off.

So Morgan sent in Kitsun instead, prompting Sera to switch to Pelt. The Dark-type just smirked as he came into the Alakazam's attempted Psybeam. Kitsun, it seemed, had Miracle Eye, but by the time he used it, Pelt's Beat Up had him weak enough that Morgan thought it better to switch again after all, opting for Joseph the Beedrill.

Pelt's Feint Attack was powerful, but double weakness meant Twin Needle easily KO'd the Nuzleaf. Flash's Flame Charge made for quick revenge in turn.

Morgan was a little low on options now, but thought a small target may help against the large Pokemon, so she brought back Skitty. If she could just last one turn, a Sing might be just the advantage needed to take Flash down.

"Double Kick," ordered Sera. The Blaziken swooped in…

And the Navs simultaneously beeped to indicate a critical hit. Skitty's body was sent flying by the powerful kicks. As she landed in a twisted heap, Sera's hand flew to cover her mouth. "I- I'm so sorry. I'm… I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry."

Morgan felt a twisting in her gut she hadn't at the other deaths. That this was at the hands of not just her rival but her-... was Sera her 'girlfriend' now? They hadn't really made that clear, had they. But that it was someone close to her, in a battle specifically agreed to stay non-lethal. And, hell, that it was specifically a Pokemon that reminded her of the very person who killed it, from personality to soft pink color. It was… upsetting.

All the same, as Morgan made her way to the body to double-check before having it transported away, she just sighed, "Accidents happen, I guess." She knew it was. Getting mad at Sera wouldn't change anything. It was the nature of this stupid Game she'd been conscripted into playing. She was frustrated, and annoyed, and sad, especially given it would be quite some time before she could revive the sweet little cat. But she wasn't angry, at least… "...Heh. You know, I never even named her."

"...I'm. Really sorry," Sera repeated.

But Morgan shook her head. "I know. But hey, I guess you win. I'd rather not bother finishing up, if that's all right with-"

_Beep beep beep. _..What? "_This is Navalie, your personal PokeNav assistant. Trainers are hereby reminded that per League rules-"_

_What? WHY?_ "It didn't do this last time I-"

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_, the Nav repeated louder. "_This is Navalie, your personal_-"

"Oh my gods. Okay _fine_, I'm _battling_," Morgan spat, and the machine promptly went silent again. Feeling rather more bitter, Morgan sent in Kitsun.

"I'm uh…"

Morgan sighed. "I know, you're sorry. Let's just get this over with."

"Flame Charge," Sera ordered. To no surprise, it hit well before Kitsun could make use of his type advantage, and out he went.

"Joy," droned Morgan. "Well, I guess these two try to fight so much _anyway_." So it was Flash versus Cerberus. Not that there'd be much fight to be had once Sera used another Flam-

"Blaze Kick." What.

Once again, the critical hit alert sounded; even above that, there was an audible _crack_ as the kick connected.

Morgan's Sceptile hit the ground dead.

Sera's Nav made a victory sound, but no one was celebrating. Morgan was suddenly on her knees holding her partner and searching for any sign that she was wrong. She had to be. She and the Nav must both be mistaken. She couldn't- not Cerberus. Anyone, _anyone_ else. She suddenly regretted reviving Kitsun, even Mithril. She'd give up both if she had to for Cerberus.

Sera cautiously approached, in tears. "I- I'm so-..."

"Don't," warned Morgan. "Just. Don't."

"I didn't mean-"

"I _know_," Morgan snapped. "I know you didn't _mean_, but here we are."

Sera bit her lip. "H-hey… Calm down, it's all ri-"

"_What_ part of this is all right?"

"Morgan, I know you're upset, but you can revive him. Maybe not right this second but-"

"But _when?_ And what do I do _until_ then? Without my best Pokemon, my- my _partner._ I wanted to quit, but _you_ had to-"

"It wasn't _my fault_," Sera snapped back defensively. "I'm not the one who made you keep going."

"But you're the one who didn't pull any punches when it was clear you were already winning."

"I-" That shut Sera up for a moment. "... It was an accident."

Morgan sighed heavily, but as she opened her mouth to speak again, she was cut off by a Nav sound she hadn't heard before. Had it been anything she knew, she probably would have ignored it, but curiosity got to her this time. So she pulled the Nav down, and watched in awe. In the slot that usually sent and received PokeBalls when Wonder Trading from within the party, an item almost like a PokeBall appeared.

Inside, Morgan found a Revive. The message sound played then, and she opened it to find a short letter:

_A gift from a sympathetic fan. I know you won't take it for granite. It can get tuff out there, but don't give up. Never give up._

It was unsigned.

"I… I…" She cradled the tiny crystal in her hands like the precious treasure it was, then shook off her stupor to stuff it in her pocket and locate the Nav option to take Cerebus away. Just for a moment. Just long enough…

As he faded right off her lap, she jumped to her feet and made a beeline for the Center.

"Hey uh… Wait up," Sera said. Morgan ignored her. "What did it say?"

Morgan huffed a sigh. "Nothing. Just that it was from a fan."

"A… fan?" Again Morgan ignored her. "That's… Gifts don't usually come so _directly_ like that is all so I just-"

Morgan stopped for just a moment to give her a questioning look. She'd just assumed this was some other thing everyone magically forgot to tell her about, or that she'd spaced right through if they did, but it actually did make her wonder who it came from if the method of delivery really was unorthodox.

For about one second, anyway, at which point she resumed walking even faster. No time to worry about how or why; she had to get Cerberus back.

"Morgan, slow-"

"Sera. Fucking shut it."

Sera stopped following, then, allowing Morgan to continue on her own.

* * *

Morgan didn't sleep worth shit. Sera didn't either- in part because she refused to allow herself the comfort of her Pokemon when she was responsible for Morgan lacking hers. Thought that may not have been the only reason…

Eventually, Morgan made her way to the front desk at around 3:30am to wait.

Around 6:00, Sera came downstairs. "Oh, you're up." Morgan did not answer. "I uh.. The forecast for the desert is nice today, and it's considered separate from the rest of Route 111 so even if you've already-... I uh, I was think of going myself, and-..." Sera sighed. "Well uh, if you decide to swing by yourself on your way to Petalburg, I got you these…"

She held out a pair of goggles for nearly a full minute in silence before Morgan finally sighed and took them. "... Wait, Petalburg?" That sounded right, like she'd seen it on her list, but why the fuck…

"Y-yeah… It's… definitely one of the less linear parts of our route. You can either go down through Mauville and Verdanturf, which is a little quicker, or circle north through Fallarbor and Meteor Falls, which takes longer but has another capture chance. I think they just figured it was best to wait until the middle of your journey before you-"

"Oh gods, we're fighting _Norman _next, aren't we…"

"Yeah…"

An awkward silence fell. Finally, Morgan remarked, "Isn't it about time you got going?"

"... I guess. Good luck?" Morgan did not respond.

* * *

Out in the desert, Sera caught a Trapinch, but given she already had one she'd started training in the past week, she Wonder Traded it to receive an Audino. This would have excited her much more if her overall mood was better. More intriguingly, she found an interesting fossil. One way or another, she'd end up passing through Rustboro, so this was rather serendipitous.

Afterward, she decided that was probably enough desert adventure for one day and headed north.

Some time after dark, she finally set up camp, and shared a quiet meal with her Pokemon. Only afterward was she finally forced to deal with the conundrum she'd created for herself.

Pelt was not very fond of cuddles for more than a few minutes at a time. Zuma was, but… as much as Sera wanted to like the Linoone, she couldn't ignore some of her negative tendencies enough to feel comfortable sleeping with her. Wings was out of the question.

And since evolving…

_What's wrong?_ Tank asked.

Sera winced. "I just… You guys are a bit too big to sleep with, now, huh…"

Flash blinked. _No, I don't think so._

Tank tilted his head. _I could probably curl up pretty tight. Though the tent might be a little more crowded… Hmm._

"I.. guess we could try."

_And I'm thin enough I barely take up any room_, insisted Flash.

Sera bit her lip, and searched for an excuse.

After nearly half a minute, Flash sighed. _It's because I'm humanoid, now, isn't it?_

"What?" Sera tried a little too hard to act surprised. "I- I don't know what-..." Flash gave her an unamused look, and Tank began awkwardly making a point to pay attention to anything but this conversation. My what an interesting leaf on this log. Sera sighed. "No, it's because you've been flirty the past few weeks, _and_ now you're humanoid."

_Mmm…_ He rubbed his head a minute as he searched for words. _Sera… Do you not think of me as a person?_

"_What?_" That one was legitimate. "Of course I do."

_I'm not sure you do._ Before she could protest, he clarified, _It seems like you think of us more like pets who happen to be able to talk than like equal people._

"... I-..." She wanted to debate that, and found no grounds to do so. "I'm… sorry. When I ask myself, I really don't think I see you like that, but… I can definitely see where maybe on some level I do without realizing it. I'll… I'll work on that," she promised.

Flash slowly nodded. _And… I suppose I can cut back on the flirty banter if it's made you uncomfortable. I hadn't realized…_

Man this was _the most _interesting leaf though. And my goodness look at that mushroom too. Tank definitely had to thoroughly investigate that mushroom.

_I suppose the point I was going for, though, was… If you don't 'like' me, that's more than fine. I will loyally serve you and remain your devoted friend no matter what. ...But please, don't let any reservations be because I've started to blur 'the line' between human and Pokemon. I thought for you, of all people, there wasn't much of a line to begin with… We're all still… people._

Sera had started tearing up, and hesitantly moved next to Flash before finally breaking down and hugging him tight, crying softly into his downy feathers. "I'm sorry…"

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. _Hey, there's nothing to be sorry about as long as you're try-_

"No," she whimpered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry for thinking anything had changed, or anything could make me lose you."

Tank finally wandered over now. _Can… Should I also join the hugs?_

Sera laughed and all but leapt from Flash to Tank, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing tight. Flash stood to rejoin, and in the midst of the group hug, Pelt popped out of his Pokeball to hug Sera's leg as well. Sera stifled another laugh, then reached down to pet him. "Well hi there. Yes, you're wonderful too." Pelt gave her a wide grin in response.

When Sera finally lay down for the night, she had to scoot closer to the door than usual to make room for the Swampert curled up against her back, and she still felt awkward laying her head on Flash's chest rather than simply holding him like a stuffed animal. But he was as soft and warm as ever, and once she allowed herself to relax and nod off, she slept like a baby.

* * *

Morgan, meanwhile, had gotten Cerberus back, and spent several minutes just clinging to him being grateful he was okay. He was clearly shaken, not his usual energetic self at all. But he did at least seem glad to be back.

When they left, Morgan decided they were probably far enough behind Sera to cut through the desert without bumping into her.

Just before she got there, she realized the egg in her bag was beginning to wriggle. She took it out and watched as, rather than hatching, it glowed and morphed like a Pokemon evolving, until a small blue Pokemon stood before her. "Wynaut?" the little one chirped. "Wy, wynaut."

. . .

Morgan pulled out her Nav and searched the creature to confirm her suspicions about its evolution. "... _Now_ I get the damn joke," she muttered. Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile just a little.

In the desert proper, she was approached by a Baltoy… which promptly turned tail and ran, disappearing off into the sand. "... That's _cheatinnng_," Morgan called after it.

Well, this was probably a huge waste of- what was that in the wall? She approached to examine it, and found only the imprint of where it seemed something had been recently removed. "Ah, damn. Wonder what it-..."

Suddenly, Morgan's eyes fixated on the vaguely claw-shaped impression, and then she was in another land, staring at the ocean. Suddenly, a small vaguely bug-like creature was at her feet, and, startled, she kicked it back into the ocean. Then, as if in retaliation, two dozen more swarmed from the depths, and an overwhelmingly massive creature that could only be their evolved form soon followed, letting out an earsplitting cross between a screech and a roar.

When Morgan finally came back to her senses, she was shaken, and she was quite certain that not _all_ the sweat on her brow was from the desert heat. What… was that? She was quite certain she didn't recall ever seeing those creatures before, but at the same time the image was so clear, and she had such a clear, overwhelming sense of dread. Had… she pissed these things off in another life, or something?

Wow, what was she even going on about? She clearly needed to get out of this heat.

Though… walking alone did seem a little more eerie, now, and the sand didn't agree with most Pokemon, it seemed. So… Mithril? Yeah, Mithril sounded good. Xe wasn't always super personable but xe was usually pretty cool.

And when Morgan released xir, xe even seemed more chipper and upbeat than usual today.

As they walked- or, well, _she_ walked and xe floated- Mithril began to look at her strangely. "What is it?" Mithril beeped, and Morgan felt like she could imagine xir asking what was wrong. Or maybe something about looking like she'd seen a ghost. Morgan laughed lightly. Who knew, maybe.

When she was finally able to set up camp, Mithril used xir telekinesis to help get things ready more quickly. "Oh, hey, you're gotten a lot better at that, haven't you?" So in all honesty, as upset as she'd been when Cerberus died, now that he was back, she really _was_ glad that she had Mithril as well. Some part of her felt Mithril was grateful for the sentiment, too.

She really should try to figure out who her mystery benefactor was someday to thank them for making both possible.

Morgan really was starting to feel better now that she'd had some time to cool off with her Pokemon friends. Maybe she did overreact a little… Maybe things would start looking up from here.

* * *

_Or maybe not._

Over the next few days, she'd traveled north. Wherefore the Wynaught evolved into a Wobbuffet. Cerberus started to seem like he was perking back up. Mithril continued being as or more friendly than ever. Also, Joseph the Beedrill died during training. But that tidbit just fell on a laundry list of other minor happenings compared to what was to come.

They'd arrived back on Route 113. And Morgan. _Swore_. That was the same Skarmory that taunted her the first time she'd passed through. The Skarmory she _should_ have gotten _then_. And it… wasn't as though she'd used the Spinda she got all that much… And the Skarmory was. _Right there_… "Surely it couldn't hurt _that_ much," she'd thought. Before, going against orders earned her a verbal slap on the wrist. How bad could the punishment for a single poached Pokemon be?

And now she was _here_.

In the unmapped wilderness between routes.

In a particularly dense forest, so thick she could scarcely see the ground for the shade of the canopy.

_Alone, without a single Pokemon at her side._

Her Nav floated nearby, but it was unresponsive to most commands. On its screen, a timer was counting down: currently, 2 hours, 48 minutes, and some-odd seconds. That was how much longer she had to endure this. And in the barely-more-than-10-minutes that she'd been there, she had already realized that Pokemon out here were much larger and more openly aggressive than the ones typically found on the routes.

And all Morgan had for protection were her wits and a staff-sized branch she'd managed to procure.

There was a rustling behind her, and a red and white quadruped easily five or six feet long not counting its tail burst from the underbrush. Its red eyes pseudo-glowed like a cat's, and its dagger-sized claws glinted as it passed through flecks of sunlight. Morgan only just managed to evade and jab it in the side with her staff, knocking the wind out of it to buy herself just enough time to run and seek cover.

2 hours, 44 minutes remaining.

In the distance, she spied a nest housing a pair of Skarmory. When she tried to sneak by, one took to the air and began to divebomb her, and she was forced to duck behind a large tree at the edge of the defended area. After a quick analysis, she darted out again.

This time, the Skarmory raked her back with its claws, but she managed to whack it with her staff in turn. It was mildly disoriented at worst, and quickly took back to the sky to come in for another attack, but she had what she wanted. Grabbing the feather she'd managed to knock loose, she made a break for it.

2 hours, 39 minutes remaining.

As expected, the feather was fiercely sharp, and if not literal steel, something very close, she imagined. ...Heh. Perhaps even something like mithril.

She then found as quiet a place as she could, sat down, and began adjusting her shoelace on one shoe. She took it down a few rungs, pulled the majority to one side, and used the feather to cleanly cut the excess, leaving just enough to tie it. The tongue of her boot would flop a little, but her shoe was still very secured on her foot, and now she had about a third of a shoelace.

She then cut of both sleeves and carved them into two long strips of cloth. These were wrapped around a thick stub of stick and the thinner end of her metal feather; then the shoelace was employed to attach two more sticks and hold the entire contraption together. It looked gods-awful and may not last too much wear and tear, but she had managed to fashion a small dagger with a makeshift hilt and guard to go with her staff.

2 hours, 27 minutes remaining, and another sound was coming her way.

* * *

51 minutes remaining.

There were too many. She wasn't going to make it. Two ghosts hovered nearby. Multiple varieties of birds were swooping and pecking at her. A snake that looked to have a blade for a tail slithered in closer. What Morgan wouldn't give for a blade like that over her bent half-broken dagger.

As they came in closer, the Nav suddenly emitted an immensely high-pitched screech that not only made Morgan recoil in pain, but all the nearby Pokemon flee.

Less than a minute later, the Salamence that had dropped her off returned, and Morgan scrambled onto his back as quickly as she could. She didn't know why he was here early and didn't care. She just needed out.

* * *

They flew farther than she expected, which given her injuries and the cold of the altitude was no picnic on its own. At last, though, they landed at the Petalburg Pokemon Center.

Norman and Genevieve were waiting.

"_What_ were you _thinking?_" Norman hissed. Genevieve said nothing, visibly torn between anger and concern.

"I… I didn't… I didn't know…"

"I warned you," Genevieve said coldly. "I told you, refusing to play by the rules leaves you roughing this world alone."

"I…" Clearly, Morgan hadn't understood the severity involved. She'd grown complacent. Hoenn-_proper_ was rough enough in some places. In retrospect, it should have been obvious how much worse it could get, but she hadn't…

"Here are your Pokemon back," Genevieve told her. "I trust we can count on you to be a good girl from now on?"

Morgan bit her lip, but reluctantly nodded as she snatched back her precious friends.

"Good," bit Norman. "Because I would be _very _unhappy to be hit by another fine on _your_ behalf. And if you couldn't last the three hours, I'm sure you'd hate to try three days."

Morgan did her best to nod through her shaking.

"Now, there's one more thing," said Genevieve. "You are to immediately Wonder Trade that Skarmory, and continue Wonder Trading until you get something equal to or worse than it in terms of both immediate power and longterm potential." Fanfuckingtastic. So after all that, she didn't even get to keep the Pokemon she'd been willing to test the rules for.

Well, she certainly wasn't breaking them again any time soon. So, as much as she hated to do it, she selected the Skarmory in her box and sent it off, awaiting the inevitable Wurmple or Zigzagoon she'd get in return.

Instead, she got… holy fuck, a Skarmory? Did-... Did it fail to send or…? No, this one had a different nickname. Wow. So _one_ thing went incredibly right today. Assuming…?

She looked to Genevieve and Norman, who both seemed as shocked and dumbstruck as her. "... Fucking ridiculous," Norman muttered at last. "I guess that complies with the rules, somehow. I'd count your lucky stars if I were you."

"Now that that's all taken care of," said Genevieve, "I suggest you go get some rest and get those injuries healed up. Sera just arrived in Rustboro this morning herself, so you have the time."

Morgan nodded, but then reconsidered. "...Could I… challenge the gym first?" she asked.

""What?""

"I know I shouldn't travel like this, but… Just to the Gym and back, I think I'd be okay. And I'd rest a little easier knowing that… that I can move on as quickly as possible after I'm better. That I could hurry and rush out when Sera gets here if I need to rather than her getting back ahead of me."

Norman looked her over skeptically. "Very well, girl. I have some things to tend to, but you can stop by the gym in two hours. I suggest you prepare wisely in the meantime. As your sponsor I want you to do well in these games, but going easy on you would cost me a job I value a lot more, so expect as much challenge as ever." Morgan nodded.

Genevieve grimaced. To Morgan, she said, "Dear… You really should-..."

"I'll be fine," Morgan insisted.

Genevieve sighed, but Norman took her attention with an "I'll see you later, darling."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, sweetie." She kissed him deeply, then looked between Norman and Morgan and said, "I wish the both of you luck in your match later."

"Thanks," said Morgan. She felt like she would need it.

* * *

Or maybe not.

Norman's first Slaking went down pretty easily. Then it was Manowar versus his Vigoroth. Manowar was doing pretty well- but then did a little _too_ well. The now-dreaded critical hit sound played, and Morgan watched horrified as the Vigoroth's body hit the floor.

"_YOU-_" hissed Norman.

"I didn't-..." And suddenly Sera's voice played in her head. _I didn't mean it. It was an accident. I'm sorry._ Morgan knew all these words were meaningless when the wrong Pokemon was involved.

Another Slaking took its place- and was _enraged_ by the sight of its fallen friend. In a fit of blatant revenge, it soon killed Morgan's Tentacruel. In case there was any question to this just from circumstances, the move was even called _Retaliate_. Cerberus was fortunately able to take the Slaking down, non-lethally thank goodness, but the victory felt hollow. Was this how Sera felt?

"I… I know it doesn't mean much, but I really didn't…"

"Don't speak," said Norman.

"...Oh. I mean I get it. I can just take my badge and-"

"Stay," he said, just as calm. "I want to talk to you."

"...O-okay. Uh. What are we talking about?"

Norman moved to a large display on one wall, filled with trophies and photos and certificate awards. "My Pokemon and I have been together a long time," he told her.

"I uh. I can see that. I take it you won all these together?"

Norman confirmed. "Come closer," he told her, and Morgan complied. He slid open a small panel on the wall next to the display, revealing a tiny number pad. "I told you I wouldn't hold back. And you know? Part of me is glad you didn't either. At all."

Morgan cringed. "It was a… ih…"

As he finished punching in a code, Morgan's Nav suddenly faded and clanged to the ground, just like when she entered the Devon building. "But there is one thing you failed to consider." He picked up a rather large trophy, staring at it wistfully for a moment.

It was now quite clear Morgan should be terrified, but she didn't know exactly what to expect or what to do, other than to simply ask, "...What's that?"

"I loved that Vigoroth…" He turned back to face her, eyes suddenly blazing, skewering her very soul as he finished, "_Far_ more than I care about you."

With as rough of shape as she was already in, Morgan didn't have time to _think_ of dodging. She only saw the trophy moving toward her head, heard Cerebus's distressed cry, then watched her world go black.


	19. Downtime

...What? Where…? Pokemon Center rooms weren't usually this color, were they? Which one had she gone to? She didn't make it to Rustboro, did she? No, it… Fallarbor? Maybe leaving in such a rush the first time she was there was why she didn't remember-

Wait, no, the Skarmory. She hadn't made it to the Center in Fallarbor either, had she? But then where…

She could dimly make out her reflection in… Wait, was that a…? Those were her vitals on a screen, right? So she was in a hospital? But why?

Only after about two minutes of staring blankly did she finally process that her reflection sported bandages rather than her signature hat.

She finally started shifting her position to get a better look a- "..Sera?"

"Oh? Good morning," Sera said, surprisingly unenthusiastically for someone waiting at a hospital bedside.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain later," Sera told her. "Just go back to sleep."

...Okay? Morgan waited another minute, then asked, "How long have I slept already, though?"

"...Hm?"

"I said…" Wait. These were certainly the words Morgan _intended_, but she was pretty sure it came out a lot more garbled than she meant? She tried repeating herself more slowly, and still definitely caught a few involuntary slips and stutters.

"Oh hey. You're really awake now." She began punching something into her Nav as she answered, "Uh… About five or six hours, I think. Or.. maybe closer to seven? I only know what time I got here, not exactly when it…"

"Wha'd'you mean _really_ awake?" Morgan attempted to ask.

It took Sera a moment to piece together what she meant, but then she gave a single syllable of a sad laugh. "You uh… 'woke up' a few times asking what happened and passing out before I could finish telling you. Then 30 minutes later you'd wake up and ask again. That probably happened four or five times."

"Oh. ...But what _did_…?"

Sera sighed. "The… _official_ story is that a Pokemon move accidentally flew out of control and caused a rafter beam to fall on you and Norman." Norman…? … _Oh. Right. _"Cerberus has a… _different_ version…"

"I think… I remember now…"

"Mm…" Forcing a weak smile, Sera said, "Well, then you'll be happy to know that in getting you away, Cerberus tail slammed him and left him with a few cracked ribs."

Morgan couldn't seem to smile in turn, but that did please her to know. "And what is uh… my damage?" Sera prompted her with a 'your?' to make her repeat, "Damage."

"Oh. The worst of it is a cracked skull and a contusion on your left frontal lobe. You're probably gonna have a pair of nasty scars around the hairline there, along with a bunch of cuts and scrapes from your um… wilderness excursion that might end up scarring… Lots of bruises, and I think a broken toe or something? I don't remember if they said broke or fractured but it was one of the small ones at least."

"Fun," droned Morgan. "Guess they aren't my first scars."

Just then, the door burst open, and a frantic Genevieve entered the room. "Is she still awake? Oh, sweetie, how are you feeling?"

"Uh…?" Her first instinct was to say 'like shit' but she might be a little more numb than bad actually? What did they have her on?

"Cerberus will want to see her, I'm sure," Genevieve told Sera, who nodded and reached in her pocket to release the Sceptile. Cerebus looked ready to cry when he saw Morgan, laying his head on the blankets near her feet and clutching them with both hands as he sat in the floor.

"...You uh. Said he… saved me?" Morgan asked, and Sera nodded. "... Good boy."

Genevieve took Sera's Nav then, and did something Morgan didn't catch- probably a code?- until it powered down. Only now did she realize her own Nav was nowhere to be seen, just now, either. So they just… had Sera's going until she woke up, she guessed? Oh uh… kay. "This is all my fault…" mumbled Genevieve, earning a confused look from both the young trainers.

Sera was particularly perplexed. "...Viva, hon." Was that a nickname? Were they always on such friendly terms? "I'm kind of a self-blame gymnastics champ over here and even I'm struggling to see what kind of hoops you're jumping-"

"I'm the one who wanted to be a sponsor. Norman never really did and I talked him into it."

"...Oh." Sera shrugged. "Okay yeah I see where you're coming from then." … Morgan wanted to say something about how she probably wasn't helping, but what were words? Just following their conversation was kind of straining without getting involved.

"I… We can't have kids, since I'm a- Well… He's wanted to adopt for a while, and I don't… really…" She sighed. "Of course now I'm sort of glad we didn't… B-but I convinced him. I said sponsoring a competitor would be fun, said we could get all the parental pride of seeing a kid succeed under our guidance without all the..." She shuddered and made an odd gesture to just suggest 'kids'. "I convinced him it would be great for publicity if you did well, too… I knew he was only going along with it to appease me, but I never thought…"

Wait… "_You_… believe, uh… us? I guess?"

Genevieve bit her lip and fought back tears. "He's… He's _never_ done anything like this before, but I… I've never seen him take it out anywhere but on the battlefield or on himself, but he doesn't handle stress well, and as much as he loved Vigoroth, I can see-... Well, that and I… do tend to trust the word of Pokemon…"

Morgan flubbed together some combination of trying to ask if Viv believed Sera and asking if she could talk to Pokemon herself. It took a moment, but the woman seemed to catch her overall meaning of at least one side and shook her head. "I didn't have to. The way Cerberus was acting when I got here and the blackout both made it… pretty…"

Sera rolled her eyes. "And of course, the recording is edited now if you watch the playback, so it blacks out before the end of the battle. But Viva and I were both watching when it was live, and… Yeah."

Heh… Was Sera stalking her now or-... Wait… "...W-why are you here?" Morgan asked Sera suddenly.

"Me? You were- well, you _are_ hurt. How could I not-"

"N-no, I mean…" Words.

Sera thought a moment, then answered, "Oh… Yeah, I guess this wing's usually reserved for family, but… Well, technically you don't have any in Hoenn, but even if you did, I'm… not entirely immune to abusing daddy's position for the right-"

Dammit that still wasn't- "_I mean…_ Why… _here?_" Sera seemed to be drawing a blank, and Morgan managed to spit out something vaguely resembling "Rustboro."

… "_Oh…_ I, um… I mean I was a little worried when the feed blacked out, but when Viva called to tell me you'd been hurt, I sort of… Flash can jump… _really_ far _really_ quickly now, as it turns out… It… wasn't as smooth a ride as Raikou, and he'll be resting all day to recover, but…"

Morgan didn't know if she should be touched or worried by this knowledge, but both were overwhelmed by, "But _why…_"

"Wha'd'you _mean_ 'why'?" Sera asked, incredulous.

"...The girl cares a lot about you, dear. What more reason does she need?"

"B-but I, it…" Morgan stopped a moment, found the words she wanted, then went over them a few times before slowly saying, "I basically dumped you without even talking about it. ...I. Think? I'm not sure if we were… really, but…?"

Sera just blinked, and for a moment Morgan thought her words came out too garbled again, but Sera then answered, "What's your point? I mean… So did Nik, basically? Do you really think that's all it would take to get me to give up on a friend…?"

… There was too much information in that response to process right now.

Fortunately, it seemed Genevieve could see how badly Morgan was doing, suggesting, "Maybe it's better we let you rest a while, now. Would you like us to leave Cerberus to keep you company?" After a few seconds, Morgan nodded gently. "We'll come check on you in a few hours, dear. Buzz a nurse or have Cerberus come get someone if you need anything."

* * *

It was some time the following afternoon, and Morgan was still fluctuating between sore all over and numb depending on how recent her dose was, and still struggling with some syntax and motor skills, but she was already a lot more comprehensible than she'd been upon first waking, which she hoped was a good sign. Currently, Sera was back for another visit.

"They wanna keep you a few more days," she was telling Morgan, though the doctors would certainly relay as much themselves soon enough. "But Viv's getting your room all set up back in Littleroot, and once you're there, she can call in therapists and whatnot as often as you…. Morgan?"

"Hm? Sorry, I'm listening." Sort of. "So… I guess you sort of win our little race by default, huh?"

"... Wha'd'you mean?"

What did she mean, wha'd'you mean? "I? Figured I'd be like, disqualified or something? Or at the very least that you can probably get your last three badges before I'm even up to traveling again." At least Genevieve had eventually brought by the badge that Norman had neglected to actually give her, so Morgan did have her proper five now. She'd dropped out of easier pursuits less than halfway through before, so this didn't seem too bad…

But Sera tilted her head. "Of course not. We started this together, and we're gonna end it neck and neck. I'm just on hiatus until you recover."

"What? Why?" … "Don't answer that." She didn't know whether to be flattered or pissed by that level of- just… Sera. That level of Sera. Ugh, it almost made her nauseous. That or it was a side effect of the medication, which literally listed nausea as its most common side effect. But it was probably Sera.

"I'll take my Nav out now and then to give fans something to tie them over, and give them updates on how you're doing. Nothing big, though. I might hit up some contests. Will probably catch some research Pokemon for dad." She suddenly grinned and laughed lightly. "I can't believe that Skarmory worked the other day, by the way. I mean, I managed to have a friend pull a few strings in the network to up our odds but it still required some pretty careful tim-" Morgan was staring in disbelief. "...Annnd, you didn't check the OT did you." Sera flashed her a smirk. "You should do that."

"... Why do I get the feeling it's 'Sera'."

"Serafeyna, actually."

"... What?"

"My full name. That's what my Pokemon are registered under. Serafeyna."

"Is that real or is that like, a fairy-tale-sona name or something." It sounded pretty fake. Morgan could just _imagine_ it had some extra dumb 'otherworldly' spelling, too.

Sera frowned. "No, that's my real name. How do you not-? I guess I haven't used it much, hm…"

Morgan just shook her head. "_Anyway…_ I uh… _Thank you_ for the Skarmory, apparently, but for one, how did you even-"

"I'd caught it for research when passing through. I mean. It's metal and flies. But not like a plane, like a bird. That seems deserving of more investigation than it's gotten." She winked. "But one Skarmory is just as good as another for that, and I figured daddy wouldn't notice the difference."

"...Right. But for another, I just… As much as I like and will definitely use it, I'd kind of rather if you didn't fix my messes for me without telling me, it's… I'd just _really_ rather you not."

"Oh." Sera frowned. "S...orry? Or uh, noted, I guess."

"It's fine," sighed Morgan. "Just… Don't let it happen again."

* * *

A few weeks later came the first true day of summer, and did it ever feel like it. Morgan had been doing pretty well with her recovery, though her psychiatric specialist did have some concerns about how it may have affected her mood and impulse control. Sera thought he probably just didn't realize how moody Morgan could be _before_, heh.

But today, Sera was not visiting Morgan. Today she was in Rustboro, hoping to figure out something fun to do away from home. Maybe she should actually just head through Rusturf to the Verdanturf contest hall? That might take a while, though, and she'd prefer to do something sooner than later…

She would have asked her Pokemon for suggestions, but while she did have them on her, she tried not to use them lest she attract the attention of another trainer, and end up in a battle, and wind up accidentally training while Morgan still couldn't.

With no ideas, she ended up people watching in hopes of figuring one out.

She noticed several kids with similar patterns on their shirts. Was that a new trend or were they just all together? Ooh, that dress was _super_ cute and she wanted one. And that was such a cute design on that sw- sweater? How was anyone wearing long sleeves to-

She took in the rest of the figure as he started to pass by. "T-Tabitha?"

He seemed startled a bit to hear his name called, looking around. "Did I hear one of my fans?" His eyes settled on Sera then. "Oh. You're that kid that's always popping up," he all but groaned.

Sera took a somewhat defensive stance. "W-what are you doing here?"

"What?" For a split second, he looked truly incredulous, but then he seemed to get it and rolled his eyes. "Oh, right. Sorry to disappoint, but I just live here, okay?" He shrugged, but then shook his head and added- Sera unsure if he was serious or joking- "Man, I can't believe you're even following me around in my private life now."

"O-...oh." Well then… "S-so… You're not Team Magma today, and I'm not a League Competitor. Is that about the gist of it?"

Somewhere between smug and annoyed, he answered, "Oh, I'm always Team Magma. But close enough, I guess." When she did not respond right away, he asked, "...Why? Do you intend to fight me here and now for things we tried and failed to do, or might eventually do?"

By force of habit, Sera bit her tongue. Taking a thorough, paranoid look around, first, she answered, "N-no… I uh.. I guess not..."

"Mm." He waited. ...And waited? "So do you have something you wanted to say or can I go? Honestly I'd rather not be shadowed all day by an annoying kid."

Sera put on a smug smile then. "Then good news, actually. It's my birthday, meaning I am now _not_ a kid~"

"Hyuh?" He squinted skeptically. "I'm not sure I believe you…"

She grinned sheepishly. "Okay, well… It's _technically_ tomorrow datewise, but I always celebrate on the solstice regardless of what day that falls from year to year."

Shifting to his signature sneer/smirk combo, he asked, "And you decided to celebrate in _this_ hellhole? There's nothing to _do_ here…"

… No, _Littleroot_ had nothing to do. Man it was way too obvious that people had grown up in cities sometimes. "I mean it's no Mauville, but it's easier to get to from-..." How much did he know? Maybe best not to advertise that she and especially Morgan were more vulnerable than usual right now. Tabitha seemed… _surprisingly_ calm, but she had no way of ensuring that either team wouldn't be interested in revenge for Mt. Chimney. Though there was still the matter of…

"Right. Well, have fun with that, kid." Tabitha started to walk past her, but Sera called out-

"Hey, wait a sec!"

He sighed heavily. "_What_ is it _now?_"

Cautiously closing the gap, she asked, "C-could we, maybe… talk?"

"... Sorry, is that not what we're currently-"

"A-about… Magma," she murmured.

Tabitha looked her over skeptically, until Sera started getting worried, but finally he shrugged. "Yeah, all right. Follow me, I know a place."

The walk was mostly silent, Tabitha offering very brief responses or deflections if he acknowledged her attempts to make conversation at all. But she would have gotten less talkative as they went anyway, seeing as how she was being led into a very run-down, very questionable-looking part of town.

He… _probably_ wouldn't lead her out somewhere just to mug her, would he? Or… worse… N-no, that didn't seem like Team Magma's style. They were… _pragmatic_, certainly, but seemed more organized than that. ...Hopefully?

All the same she found herself reaching for a PokeBall, juuuuust in-

"I wouldn't do that," Tabitha warned her flatly.

"W-what?"

"Fancy Pokemon like yours are only going to attract attention, and the point is to lie low."

"O-oh…" She thought it over then, and asked, "What about my Nuzleaf?"

He stopped and looked back a few seconds as he thought it over, then shrugged. "I guess, yeah, if you feel like you need it. They're common enough."

She sighed in relief, then released Pelt as they continued walking. It made her feel safer to have the extra escort, but the fact that Tabitha didn't seem to mind made her feel a little less wary of his intentions, as well. ...Unless of course he just thought a Grass-type would be easily dealt she was probably way overthinking this wasn't she, she should probably stop now.

At last, they came to a small restaurant. The decor inside was very simple, but warm, feeling more 'rustic' than 'cheap' to Sera. She couldn't tell if the dim lighting was intentional or not, but it seemed to work, and the booths were all partitioned by semi-opaque curtains. As they took a seat in one, Sera observed, "This is actually kind of nice." Within seconds of sitting, Pelt got back up and wandered off, but Sera was sure he'd be fine.

"You haven't even tried the food," commented Tabitha. "It's amazing what you can find when you stop giving in to preconceptions."

Hmm… She supposed it was true that she'd never have wandered out this far, let alone chosen to try this place, on her own. Or… was that meant to have some double meaning about the public image of Team Magma? She wasn't sure if that was intentional or not.

Pelt returned then with a booster seat, happily climbing up in it and kicking his feet idly as he sat at the table with them.

A waitress came to offer them menus and take their drink orders, Pelt pointing his out on the menu. "Well aren't you a cutie," she said to Pelt, who beamed at the compliment. Turning back to the trainers, she asked, "Will this be separate or together?"

Sera hadn't given that any thought, but Tabitha promptly answered, "Together is fine." The waitress nodded, then left them to look over their order. Once she was gone, Sera couldn't hide her coy grin. "...What?"

"My, _my._ An atmosphere like this _and_ offering to pay? If you were interested all along, all you had to do was ask~" she teased.

He leered and droned, "..Don't read into it. I literally just wanted an excuse to blow some of Devon's money."

She blinked. "Wait, what? Are you still _working_ for them after-?"

He smirked. "Of course not, but their security is a _joke._ At least for someone like _me_. It might be months before they notice the discrepancies, and it'll be far longer before they figure out how to lock me out completely."

Even Sera didn't know if her laugh was more sincere or uncomfortable. "I… see." She should… maybe report that? Maybe? But she could admit, Devon had started seeming… questionable, lately… Not enough that she'd fight them herself, but maybe holding her tongue wouldn't be so bad. She could understand _why_ they'd cover for Norman, but it still made her blood boil to think about. Poor Morgan…

"That," Tabitha went on, "and it seemed less likely we'd be seen by anyone who may recognize us both here." Between the semi-privacy of the booths, the neighborhood, and the low number of customers at the moment, Sera had to agree. "Even if _one of us_ had to go and be a celebrity," he muttered.

"S-...sorry," she laughed sheepishly. On the bright side, fans were used to seeing her with a signature look, and her hair either down or in a ponytail. Her vaguely gothic-inspired dress and pigtails today might be enough to… at least keep people from instantly knowing her at a glance, at any rate. … They also might not be helping with the whole 'I am not a kid' claim but whatever. Plenty of adults wore pigtails, probably.

He returned his attention to his menu, then, and a minute or two later asked, "You know what you're ordering?" Sera and Pelt both nodded. ".._You_ have two options, so I hope so," he said to Pelt. Pelt crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at that before sulking. "So then…" Tabitha pushed his menu aside and leaned on the table, face and voice both becoming more serious. "What do you want to know about our Team?"

Oh no. Now that she was put on the spot it was harder to voice. Should she come right out and ask about the meteorite? Did Tabitha know Maxie had given it to her? Would it be unwise to tell him if he didn't? Instead, she opted for, "...First, I guess… Why did you agree to talk to me?"

He took a moment to consider his answer. "Because as much as I struggle to see why, Leader Maxie seems to think highly of you." R-really? Sera sort of knew that already but to hear it put in those words still- well she hoped she wasn't blushing. "And because even I must admit that your interest seemed… more… _genuine_ than I'd have expected. If there is an opportunity to be had here, I would be a fool to let it slip past."

"I see…"

"So-" He cut off as the waitress returned to take their orders, then leered at Pelt as the Nuzleaf defiantly ordered from the human menu rather than accepting generic Pokemon Food, but he didn't say anything otherwise. When the waitress had gone again, Tabitha continued. "So let _me_ ask, then. Why was it that when encountering an Admin like myself, your first thought was not to run or fight or call for help, but to talk?"

"B-because…" Sera averted her gaze, twiddling her thumbs. "Because I don't like a lot of the things you've done, but I don't want to believe you're bad people… Because… even though you guys left my now-Swampert with some pretty bad scars, and even though you- _you personally_ hurt my now-Blaziken…" She bit her lip. Now that she was listing all this, she was starting to have second thoughts… "And Maxie… destroyed my favorite cloak that I'd had for… almost six years… And I've… seen you sacrifice some Koffing… … Do you guys revive those?"

She didn't imagine they'd be able to, given they likely weren't parading into Pokemon Centers often, so she was surprised when Tabitha shrugged, "Yeah, of course."

Oh. Well… "See? That's… better than it looked. I want to think there's more like that."

She hoped he wasn't as bored as he looked… "Why though?"

"Because… I'm not fond of all your methods, but I like what you're trying to do? There _is_ so much water, and overcrowding _is_ such a problem in the habitable areas we have, and…"

"Kid," he cut her off. "I know the draw of the Team in general. What doesn't make sense is how someone in _your_ position- someone so… _indoctrinated_ by League lies, someone who has personally fought both with Pokemon and fists with Leader Maxie- seems so convinced on seeing the best in us."

Ah… How could she put that? "I guess..." She considered the events of the past month-and-a-half. "Everyone I've met seems so… decent." At his sudden offended look, she tried not to laugh and corrected, "No, I mean like… Being a decent person. You don't strike me as bloodthirsty criminals. In the museum, I got the impression that you guys were willing to kidnap Captain Stern, but would have left peacefully if he cooperated. There weren't an overt threats, and I… think _I_ might have caused the only property damage, actually…" She cringed and smiled sheeplishly.

"The grunt I met that day- I wish I'd caught his name…- he was so helpful and patient and willing to look out for me. And Maxie himself took the time to talk to me about Magma's goals even though he could see right through my accidental 'disguise'. And before I even started hearing about you as a team I met this other Grunt who-... Okay, I almost forgot she actually robbed me but only a little, and- well there was a lot to like about her other than that." Sera still hadn't met anyone else who shared their gift…

Tabitha half-stifled his jeering laugh. "Only a _little_ robbery, huh?"

"I mean.. She took some food and stuff but I wasn't hurting for it or anything. B-but yeah! That's… Kind of my point, actually. I don't get the feeling you guys _want_ to hurt anyone. You needed a meteorite but you're not the ones who kidnapped Professor Cozmo. You're not the ones who set fire to the cable car stations on Mt. Chimney." Something about that seemed to amuse him, but she went on.

"Even… Even when Maxie was… probably actually trying to kill me, it… didn't feel like he wanted to _hurt _me… Does… that make any sense at all?" That wasn't to say he _didn't_, but that didn't feel like the… focus? Though he had been lashing out, she didn't get the feeling that he... got any satisfaction from it? She guessed? It just… felt different...

Tabitha shrugged. "If you say so. So what, then? You think we're all secretly a bunch of nice people who need the Manic Pixie Dream Girl to come show us the error of our ways and make our lives all better?"

Sera stared a moment. "... Tabitha do you trope."

His eyes went wide, and Sera manage to keep herself from laughing, but Pelt did not, snickering quietly. "You say that like being a scientist and a revolutionary second-in-command means I can't have hobbies."

"Hey, it's fine. Tropes Are Not Bad, even if they do Ruin Your Vocabulary."

He slowly facepalmed, rubbing his temples. "You can stop now."

"Aww, don't tell me a little embarrassment is all it takes to Break The Haughty. What happe-"

"I said _shut your mouth_," he snapped.

Sera shrunk back. "Yes sir…"

Tabitha gave her a strange look. "Hyeh? ...What are you _doing? _You have to know I'm not going to buy that 'following orders' routine at this point."

Sera cringed. "Oh… I-... N-no, that's… habit, sorry."

"... Mm." A small silence fell, and their food thankfully came during it, providing a welcome distraction. As Tabitha began to eat, he looked over to Pelt, who was having a fruit salad. "... Wait. Does that thing even _need_ to eat? Don't they photosynthesize?"

Sera laughed softly. "I mean… He _can_ eat…" Pelt flashed Tabitha a smug grin.

He squinted. "Watch it, or I'll pay for ours and make you work for yours."

That did seem to startle Pelt, getting Sera to laugh harder. As he gave her a concerned look, she assured him, "Don't worry, I'd pay for you, sweetie."

Pelt sighed in relief, and Tabitha rolled his eyes. "No, I guess I've got it. Man, you're such an annoying kid, though."

"I'm _eighteen_," Sera reminded him, muttering a very small 'tomorrow' under her breath. "A full-fledged adult." Only then did it finally occur to her to look him over and question: "..Wait. How old are _you_, anyway?" He certainly looked younger than the likes of Maxie and Archie.

"... Twenty-six," he answered. Sera raised a brow. "... Almost."

Sera grinned, and asked, "So right at the paradoxical crossroads between a baby and a grumpy old man?"

Tabitha glared and began to snap, "_Sh-_" But he bit his tongue, instead saying more calmly, if still with a hint of warning, "Please don't."

Sera noticed the shift, but had no idea what to make of that. ".. O-okay. I was just teasing, but sorry, I guess..."

"Whatever." He went back to quietly eating for a minute or two, so Sera did the same (oh hey, this _was_ pretty good), until he asked, "So what _do_ you think you're trying to accomplish, anyway?"

"I… I don't know, honestly." Of course she couldn't just join. That would be… _crazy_… "... Is it true that you know where Groudon is?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss Magma's sensitive information or current plans. Nice try."

Sera briefly pouted, but then had an idea. "...Okay, so. Wwwhat about past plans? Could you tell me what you guys were trying on Mt. Chimney?"

He took a moment to consider it. "I guess it's pretty irrelevant now. The short version is we were trying to infuse that meteorite with both Infinity Energy and geothermal energy to create something close to a Mega Stone."

"...Would that sort of Mega Stone be linked to a certain legendary Pokemon that may or may not have been found, and/or be involved in waking a certain Pokemon up?" He said nothing, but smiled and tapped his nose. "But then… Why didn't you need it anymore?"

"Ah-ah. That's getting into current. But suffice it to say we got a lead on a more reliable method than experimenting with meteorites." After a moment, he leered and added, "Of course thanks to _someone_, it would have taken months of work to get back to those experiments anyway. Seriously, who do you think has to rebuild that sort of thing?" Sera… couldn't say for certain, but she _thought_ she might detect a hint of jest in his voice.

In turn, she teased, "I'll keep that in mind next time."

His face fell flat. "... I'd really rather there not be a next time." When that prompted her to laugh, his eyes widened a moment before rolling in a sort of 'you got me' expression.

"But… No I'd… I can't promise I won't step in if things get too… shady. But as long as no one's getting hurt, and I can do so without… I guess 'sacrificing my position' sounds bad but…"

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're talking to someone who worked as a mole for years."

"Eheh, right, well. Something like that. But yeah, if I can maintain all of… _that_, moral code and all… Then I really would… like to help? If you'd have me… I'm sure I have access to _some_ sort of resources that might be useful?"

He sat back, and sized her up. "Hyun… Don't think we won't be on-guard, after the stunts you've pulled. But I suppose that I, Tabitha, am willing to grant you one last chance on behalf of the team. I suggest you do not waste it."

Sera's whole face lit. "Thank you, really!" Of course, this did present the question of how exactly she could uh…. Ooh, wait! Hesitantly, she asked, "Do.. you happen to know the secret of adventure, of romance?"

"Hyuh?" Flatly, he answered, "Is it awesome, for real? The best place ever to chill?"

Sera did her best not to laugh. "...Gods, Aarune has to come up with a better code phrase."

Tabitha shrugged. "But with such an idiotic phrase, there is approximately zero chance of anyone ever saying it on accident."

And _now_ came the laughter. "Fair enough. But so…" She pulled out her regular phone. "Could um…" She flashed a cheesy, sheepish grin. "Could I get your number…?"


	20. Pick-Me-Up

Sera still definitely wasn't a _member_ of Team Magma or anything, and as such it wasn't like she took _orders_… But she'd gotten her first polite requests as member-adjacent, and was looking forward to seeing what she could dig up on the topic at hand.

First, though, she had another request. Tabitha had excused himself before she was really finished eating, claiming he had business to attend to, but asked her to rendezvous back with him briefly this evening. So she'd opted to spend the rest of the afternoon window shopping and spending some time with her Pokemon in a local park- activities she could drop easily if it got too close to time-and now stood a few blocks from the Trainer's School, waiting.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when something suddenly fell over one shoulder and half her head, panicking and fumbling for about two seconds before realizing it was fabric and looking around for its source.

Oh. Of _course_ it was Tabitha. "Uh, what's this?" she asked, even as she started to pull it off of her and straighten it out to check exactly that.

"The old cloak suited a Magma ally," he shrugged. "Leader Maxie does not make many mistakes, but when he does, it is most often my job to take care of them. So I hope this is a suitable replacement."

Sera looked it over in awe. The new cloak was a little deeper red, with black trim and inner lining, and cut much sleeker than the old one. It didn't really have the same Red Riding Hood vibe. But it was very nice, and the material felt cool and breathable, and "I love it. I- Thank you." She smiled to him.

"Don't read into it." Tabitha crossed his arms. "I would recommend wearing it now to hide that ridiculous get-up, personally."

Sera was- incredulous! "UM. Excuse you?" She was so much lace and frills right now and she 100% saw where he was coming from but that did not at all mean she had to agree. "No, screw you, I'm cute as fuck. I'm a damn Sylveon over here."

"Uh-huh…" he replied dryly. "I'd give you maybe Gothita."

Sera frowned. "...Gothorita?"

"Nah, just Gothita."

She stuck out her tongue, which was totally definitely helping her case, obviously. Unable to resist, she muttered, "...Better than a Makuhita."

"What. … Did you _dare_ to just-"

"I didn't say anything~" she feigned a little too sweetly, intentionally sounding fake. When he did not respond, though, Sera began to worry she'd gone too far. Crap.. Surely something so silly and petty wouldn't burn her bridge entirely this soon but it.. would it weaken it? Maybe she should-

But at last, he replied just as bone dry: "Fuck you, I'm a Hariyama." It took Sera a few seconds to process that before she burst into laughter. "Anyway, some of us have to work tomorrow. And I'm sure you've got a tea party to get to or something, so…"

In most situations, Sera would have taken that as a jab at her being a 'little girl' but. In this case no that was 100% fair, and it only made her giggle more. "All right. I'll text you if I find anything that might be useful."

"Good. Try not to disappoint." He turned then and started to walk away.

Sera sighed, but retained a smile. "I'll do my best."

She started to head the other way, then, when she heard Tabitha briefly call back, "And… Happy Birthday, I guess." Sera didn't reply, but might have beamed for the next half-hour straight.

* * *

Morgan didn't know how much more of this she could take.

On paper, it sounded fine. A few health problems in exchange for peace? Privacy? A permanent roof over her head and guaranteed meals? No more battles? What wasn't to love?

Aside from the glaring gaps in her memory seeming to grow worse by the day, noticeably slower processing speed when she had to figure out a problem, what felt like occasional glitches in her basic motor skills, and an occasional absence seizure, this was… _totally_ fine, right?

They swore that most of her symptoms were improving and showing less frequently, but Morgan wasn't so sure.

Adding to this frustration was the fact that she didn't seem to be _doing. Anything. _If she had all her old spellbooks and potion materials she could be content for months cooped up in a small room. But trying to substitute that with reading up on Pokemon facts lacked the same sense of accomplishment, wasn't interactive enough to keep her as thoroughly absorbed. And worse, trying to absorb high volumes of new information proved more difficult than reviewing and adding to things with which she was already so much more deeply familiar, which was that much _more_ frustrating because she was 98% sure she hadn't always needed to reread new things this many times to retain them better than she was doing now.

One thing that kept her sane had proven to be berry farming. She'd picked up a pamphlet near Rustboro what seemed so long ago now on the health benefits of different berries, but she hadn't really had the opportunity to pay it much mind until now. A few times it helped her identify berries she found in the wild, but it wasn't as though she could grow more. What, was she just going to casually run back to every patch of dirt in Hoenn every couple of days to check and water them all? Hardly.

But now, Genevieve had been kind enough to let her start a garden outside the house, and Morgan was learning a lot.

For instance, it seemed like the Potions sold in stores were likely no more than a thinned Oran puree with maybe some additives and something to help it absorb through the skin. Not that they were expensive, but why pay anything when Morgan could get the same effects for free?

She also learned that some varieties of berries grew remarkably fast, and were resilient in a wide variety of climates. She learned that they kept for a surprisingly long time when stored under the appropriate conditions.

She stockpiled more than she thought she would ever use- _hundreds_ of some varieties at this point- but she kept growing more because it gave her something to _do_, and the more excess she managed to get, the more she could afford to waste with probably 'fruitless' experiments, pun intended but also a little shameful even though in never left her mind. Wow. She was even embarrassed of her private thoughts now. Good job Morgan.

She looked up from a Rawst bush and sighed heavily.

Berries were fine, but they only helped so much. She needed…

She needed to _do_ something. If she just sat around reading books and picking berries until her recovery was deemed 'good enough', she'd wind up flung suddenly back into the thick of combat less prepared than she'd been when she _got_ here.

Sure, she knew more now, but back then she was fresh off a different sort of battlefield, facing a challenge specifically tailored to beginners. Here, she'd be going up against far stronger foes in some of the worst shape of her life.

The doctors said her brain would probably never be quite 100% of what it had been before the assault. They said 90, even 98, 99! They couldn't guarantee such good results, but those were all possible. But the damage would never 100% go away; she'd carry at least _some_ lingering reminder the rest of her life, just like the scars from any other physical wound.

She touched the new scars on her head. Thanks for those, by the way, Norman.

But even if she couldn't guarantee she'd be ready when they inevitably made her rejoin the games, she could still try. Try to prepare herself, try to get herself used to thinking on her toes, again…

And they _would_ make her. She could deal with boredom if she knew it would last, but even if she didn't know exactly when just yet, she knew they'd make her continue in time. Fulfill the contract she _allegedly_ signed up for. And it was that looming future that made her so restless.

She looked out to the treeline, across the field from where the house stood at the edge of town. The boundary line. The barrier…

If her observations were correct… The Pokemon she'd encountered when she was dumped in the uncharted wilds were stronger versions of those from several nearby routes, at least mostly… A few species she didn't recognize at all, but she couldn't guarantee she just hadn't encountered those yet…

So if she _was_ right, the Pokemon around here should be… Mostly Zigzagoon and Linoone, Poochyena and Mightyena, and a variety of bugs… Maybe the rare Ralts, or something…? She could… probably handle that. With any luck, they'd be stronger than the ones on nearby routes, but not as strong as the ones up north...

What was she doing? Was she really planning to waltz right back into the den of horror that nearly killed her, _willingly?_

Well, here she was, sneaking through the house to grab her Pokeballs, so apparently so.

Anyway, last time she didn't have them. This time should be a walk in the park, right?

She approached the barrier.

Her Nav was not with her this time. There was no blaring, no warning, but Morgan still found herself on high alert.

Her rail thin frame easily slipped between two trees to find the forest a little dim, but significantly less dense than the tight outer rim would have suggested. It seemed quiet enough, but going further in she would take no chances, releasing both Cerebus and Mithril to escort her.

The prior always made her feel safer, and the latter… For some reason she got the feeling that xe thought this was a good idea. Even a little validation was nice, even if it was probably all in her head.

Not two minutes later, she encountered a wild… What was that, some kind of parrot? Whatever. It was small and alone, so maybe she could use it to help train Wherefore? She sent out the Wobbuffet, and waited for a good opportunity to Counter.

And the bird proceeded to use all sound-based, non-physical moves. So… No it needed to-... Wait, what was the special equivalent of Counter? She didn't have her Nav to check… It… it was…

The next thing Morgan knew, she was clutching Cerberus's arm, and he was making an effort to help steady her. Morgan did not remember grabbing him. Fuck.

She looked out to see- a doubled blur for a moment, but when it came back into focus- Wherefore's lifeless body toppled, and heard the bird shout in a plain human tongue, "BRETHREN, ASSEMBLE!"

As another dozen colorful birds flocked out of the woodwork, Morgan began ever so slightly laughing for what felt like the first time in weeks. _Now_ she got it. This was a really stupid dream. Of course it was.

The birds split between picking at Wherefore's corpse and launching attacks at the other three. Morgan passively observed that they sure felt real, but she was sure she'd wake up sooner or later. Any… time now…

"MORGAN."

That sudden cry was followed by a wave of psychic energy rippling past- and _through_\- Morgan. Mithril was unphased, and Morgan and Cerebus had to brace themselves to hold their ground, but all the… Chatot? Morgan was certain she'd never heard that name, yet felt oddly sure they were called Chatot. Whatever they were, all of them were sent flying.

A few moments later, Genevieve was at her side, a large Claydol floating and small Purrloin standing just behind her. "What were you _thinking? _You can't just- Are you hurt? That was so- _stupid_ and _irresponsible_ and-... Dear, let's go." Genevieve and Cerberus both started leading her back toward town. "You're so lucky that wasn't worse, you know you shouldn't be out without-.. And how do you think it would look on _me_ if you just up and… _disappeared?_"

So this actually was real? But that didn't make sense. "How did you find me..?" Morgan muttered.

"Thankfully, Muffin saw you wandering off and came to alert me. You won't always be so lucky." Muffin offered Morgan a disdainful, almost haughty or scolding meow.

Genevieve continued to fuss over or at her all the way home, sometimes simultaneously. Once in the den, she sat Morgan down and checked her over thoroughly, sighing in relief as she said, "Well, there doesn't seem to be any visible damage, at least. How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Ehh," Morgan answered. "I think I'm getting another headache, but otherwise I think I'm okay." Really, she was sure she'd have been fine staying out there. Claydol hadn't done anything Mithril couldn't. She just needed a few more seconds to get her bearings.

… Ugh, they just… _left_ Wherefore's body, didn't they. So much for _that_ revival chance. Now she was just grateful she _hadn't_ had her Nav, so that poor old woman would never have to know what a bad idea it was to give Wherefore's egg to Morgan.

"I'm so glad… Promise me you won't wander off like that again?"

"... Sure, okay," said Morgan flatly.

* * *

She wandered off again literally the next day. She took account of Muffin's whereabouts first this time, picked a time when Genevieve was out of the house, and managed to make it an hour in the shallow part of the wilds before turning back. She even made it home first, no questions asked.

The next day, she repeated the process, lasting a little over an hour; the day after, almost two. The attacks were not really _too_ frequent this little way in, and it was actually somewhat peaceful in between them. In the dim quiet, she felt like she was more aware of Cerberus's thoughts and motions, as if they were becoming more in-sync with one another; and she started imagining herself having entire conversations with Mithril.

On the fourth day, she arrived home to find Genevieve waiting. "You took a walk?"

"... Yyyeah," answered Morgan. "I needed some fresh air." … Wait, the garden was plenty fresh. "And to stretch some."

The woman sighed. "If you're going to keep doing this, please take my Nav and Muffin with you. Even under the current circumstances, yours won't cross the boundary line without protest, but with my position mine can."

Morgan blinked. "Are you giving me permission to break the rules?"

Genevieve leered. "Not at all. I'm _furious_ that you're recklessly putting yourself in harm's way. But I'm not willing to have you incarcerated over it and I couldn't live with myself if you didn't make it back, so I guess the next best thing is to take precautions. I'll keep your Nav with me, so if you run into trouble you can dial your own number or have Muffin come for help."

"Mm…" Morgan looked to the Purrloin. "You sure it's a good idea to send your pet out to-"

Muffin spat an indignant yowl her way, and Genevieve followed up, "Dear, Muffin isn't small because she's weak; she chose not to evolve. She accompanied me through several Kalosian tournaments when I was… mm, probably your age and a little younger, before I moved to Hoenn."

Wait… "So, you're an actual trainer?" Also. People _willingly_ came to Hoenn? That might be the strangest news yet.

She chuckled. "How did you think I caught the eye of a Hoenn Gym Leader? Aside from my stunning good looks and sparkling personality."

"And humility," Morgan added.

"Of course~ But yes. I was a Marchioness in the Battle Chateau, among some smaller achievements. And… on that note, if you'd like to spar against my Pokemon some time instead of wandering into the death zone?" Her smile was sweet and bordering on pleading.

"... Huh. I hadn't realized that was an option, but yeah, I guess."

Genevieve nodded. "I.. suppose I'll let Sera know that she can resume some very light training as well."

They talked a little more, but eventually Morgan excused herself to her room… and found a Wingull sitting in her window sill. "Hey. No, shoo," she told it. "What are you even doing here? You should be like… I guess the other side of Oldale isn't too far but still."

It didn't move, but when she moved closer to shoo it away, she realized- "... Peeko?"

The Wingull squawked happily, then spread her wings to circle Morgan's room and drop several rolled up letters on her bed. One by one, Morgan unrolled them. Some were signed, some were not.

_Get well soon, scamp. I know a bright spirit like yours can't be kept down for long. Just don't let them extinguish that light you have inside. One way or another, I get the feeling you're gonna change the world._

Gee, who could possibly be calling her that nickname, heh.

_I'm gonna be honest, brat, I don't really like you. But I like those League pigs a lot less. Don't take this lying down; give them what's coming to them._

That one was a bit less obvious, but Morgan has a few guesses that were stronger than others.

_Hey Morgan. I'm not sure if you'll get this. Do you have any idea how this bird even found ME? Well, it gave me a note saying I should write to you, so that's what I'm doing. It's a real shame about the accident. I hope you and Mr. Norman are both doing better. You both helped me so much. Did you know my Ralts evolved? I guess I'm running out of space on this tiny paper, but I'll try to visit you soon, if you're not back on the road by then!_

_\- Best Wishes, Wally_

Awww. Was he that much more outgoing now, or was he always just more talkative in text than aloud? She couldn't help but wonder. She opted to ignore the sympathy for Norman in light of everything else.

_Lol hi. I could (and will) just walk over and say hi when I get back to Littleroot, but Peeko found me and is apparently collecting letters for you? She won't let me see the others. … Not that I'm trying to read your mail, ahah. That would be weird. But I figured why not give you an extra one, eh? ilu bb get well soon~_

_-Serafeyna (:P yes, really)_

Morgan was right, that _did_ have a dumb spelling. Why did she find that more satisfying than annoying at the moment?

_I didn't get to know you well, but I've greatly enjoyed watching your journey, and the world seems a little brighter for having you in it. Get well soon._

_\- F. Andrews_

Even the old man from the beach? Oh gosh, how many were there?

About a dozen as it turned out. This one sounded like it might be from Aarune or someone from his Guild? Several she couldn't tell, and a few had names she didn't recognize but they seemed like big fans.

_Sorry if all these took a bit to find their way to you, lass. Peeko ain't the fastest flier, but she's damn near the sturdiest, and as it turns out, you've made a lot of friends. Remember you're not alone. We're all rooting for you._

_\- Briney_

Morgan folded all the letters when she was done and tucked them away. She thanked Peeko and gave her a grateful pet before watching her fly away, then Morgan flopped down on her bed. For the first time in she couldn't remember how long, she wanted to cry, in… a good way.

* * *

Sera was so glad to have the go-ahead. As long as she kept to one route, it still counted as a 'little' training, right?

So she adjusted her party, and… after having spent much of the past few weeks thinking on it, finally retired Zuma in favor of training her new Audino. She thought she was going to be able to convince Zuma it was for her own safety, and to uh… let her focus on contest endeavors. But taking her Silk Scarf to give to Audino left the Linoone pretty thoroughly heartbroken. Sera felt bad, but… Ihhhh.

Additionally, she was able to finally pick up her shiny new Anorith! (Not to be confused with a new Shiny Anorith, unfortunately. But still good.) Octillery was sidelined for the time being for that.

Together, they set out to Route 115, Sera's Nav activated for the endeavor.

The first Pokemon she encountered was a Pelipper. … A Pelipper with both Roost and Protect. It was… a very… long…. frustrating battle. Since 'Resilient Bastard' would not fit in the nickname field, Sera decided just to call him Paladin, and opted to keep him for the time being.

The rest of the route seemed pretty simple, a rather easy hike up the gentle slope that led to Meteor Falls. But then, Sera met Timothy.

Or rather, Wings met Timothy's Hariyama. Sera grinned when she saw it, for… reasons. But Wings…

_No… No, I can't- I can't fail again. Sera._ ...Had he ever called her by name before? _Please. I don't want to._

"Hey, you'll be fine," Sera promised. "There's no shame in a _two_ hit KO, really. You've got this!"

He did not have this.

Once again, Wings failed to take out the Hariyama right away. But this time, the counterattack was far stronger. Wings did not make it to his second attack.

Sera covered her mouth in shame. She'd-... She was able to finish the battle easily enough with Tank, and she could probably _afford_ a Revive sooner than later, if she bought it out of pocket rather than from her specified 'game funds'. And she'd definitely do that. But… wow she… Wings was never going to fight a Hariyama again, was he? She didn't think she'd be making him, either… She really had to remember to apologize when he got back…

* * *

As it turned out, Genevieve could be… scary.

In other breaking news, Hoenn was hot and had too much water.

Between Morgan's occasional excursions and their sparring matches, though, Morgan was feeling a lot better about herself, and her odds of doing okay when she had to get back to competing. Genevieve seemed to be getting excited for her, too. Not to have her horse back in the race, but legitimately on Morgan's behalf, hoping to see her do well.

"Oh, dear, I almost forgot! I-..." She rushed into the next room, and came back holding Morgan's hat.

"Oh, shit. Have you had that all this time? I was kind of wondering where it went but I kept forgetting to ask."

Genevieve nodded. "I couldn't quite get all the blood stains out without damaging the material, so I… Well I embroidered some designs to cover them." She handed the hat to Morgan, who looked over the black-and-white Pokeball and wave-like tribal patterns appreciatively. "I suppose you don't… actually _need_ to wear it anymore, if you don't want. I realize now it was probably a little silly of me to push it in the first place. But I thought it might be nice for covering those scars?"

Morgan shook her head. "No, I really like it, actually. I've kind of missed it." She pulled it on and took a moment to get it adjusted just right. She'd cut her hair short just after getting out of the hospital, both to make it easier to care for and to help make the shaved area around her scars less glaring, so it set a little differently than usual, but she ended up pretty happy with the fit. "Anyway, don't sweat the pushing. Wasn't it like… sentimental or something?"

Genevieve forced a weak smile. "Well, yes… Though I can't even remember what story I told you before." She took a seat. "The truth is, I'd made it for myself when I started training. Style is very important in Kalos, you see, and I thought something unique would help to set me apart, but…"

"...But?"

"But _some people…_" she grumbled, "thought it looked _too masculine_ for a young lady to wear."

Morgan blinked. "... It's. It's a stocking cap." Like a kind of weird one but it was. _A stocking cap._

Genevieve rolled her eyes. "You're telling _me._ If you think Hoenn has awful standards when it comes to clothing, Kalos is… worse, to put it lightly. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to love about a lot of the country. Just… sometimes…" She huffed. "But I never could bring myself to get rid of it. So I suppose when the opportunity arose to have a trainer wear it and still be popular, I may have gotten a little… vindictive."

"You? I can't imagine," teased Morgan. "But honestly, who even cares? Why not just wear whatever you want anyway?"

Wait why did she look even _more_ annoyed now? Genevieve sighed. "Because, dear, when _you_ opt for masculine attire, you're 'a tomboy', but when _I_ try to do it, I'm 'not a real woman'."

"What?" Processing... process… "Oh! Sorry, I had no idea." Genevieve shrugged. "And, yeah, that sucks about the whole, double standard thing."

"Eh. Most of my style aligns to norms pretty well anyway, especially by Hoenn's slightly more lax standards. It's more a principle thing than personal at this point. But yes…"

"Yeah…" Though… while they were on the subject. "To be honest, I don't really think of myself as a… 'tomboy', or any kind of boy. But I don't really think of myself as a 'girl' either? Like I tend to just go with that out of habit, but…" Morgan shrugged dramatically. "I dunno. Whether or not the word itself bothers me depends on the context, but I've realized I really don't care for a lot of feminine terms people use toward me, so…"

"Oh?" Muffin wandered by, hopping in Genevieve's lap, and the woman seamlessly started petting her without taking her eyes off Morgan. "Are you agender, then? Or something else nonbinary?"

Morgan moved her hands in a vague weighing motion. "Mmmaybe? I mean, do I actually not have one or have I just not given it enough thought to pin down what it is? But probably somewhere in that neighborhood, I guess, while I'm thinking about it now."

Genevieve nodded. "That's fair. I just sort of wish you'd told me sooner, though I understand several reasons you wouldn't."

"Yeh." Morgan found herself smirking, though not quite laughing. "So, hey. Sorry if this hurts the whole 'prove the hat can work on a girl' plan?"

Genevieve barked a sharp laugh in turn. "Do you mean by turning it into a 'my trainer has no gender and neither does this fucking hat' plan? Because that sounds like a good plan."

Morgan's smirk shifted to a borderline grin. "Okay, good point."

"_Should_ I make that public, though? And would you prefer neutral pronouns?"

Morgan gave that some thought. "I… guess not right now. I'll think on it more and let you know if I decide I'd like you to. But it's likely to come up more for you talking about me than it is to affect me directly when I'm traveling, so no longer than I have left here, it doesn't seem worth any hassle to me right now."

"Mmm. All right. Well don't hesitate to say so if you change your mind, dear. … I had something else to tell you. What was it…" Morgan waited as she thought. "... Oh! Right! You know how you start back Monday?" Morgan nodded. "Well, your friend Wally got in touch with Norman to mention he wanted to visit you, so we thought it'd be a good idea for him to escort you to Mauville to get back to your journey. Sera will be meeting you both there, but this way, you'll be able to help keep an eye on each other. Wally is looking to start traveling more on his own, as well, so it should be a good test to make sure you're both up to it."

As much as Morgan disliked the idea of a babysitter, something about it coming in the form of an actual child did amuse her, and she could see the point. Not to mention, "That's great to hear for Wally. Sounds fun, I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

Norman arrived that morning with Wally in tow. As Morgan watched their approach from her bedroom window, she wanted to feel resentment toward Norman, but the clear strength of the bond between him and Wally made that difficult to muster, she found. Certainly she could still hate him later, but within this moment, seeing them joke with each other and hearing the faint sound of their laughter, Norman seemed...

Morgan held little doubt that if anything ever happened to Wally's family, Norman would adopt him in a heartbeat.

… She suddenly hoped nothing 'mysterious' befell Wally's poor family to facilitate that. Okay, geez, _there_ was the resentment. She knew it couldn't have been too far again.

Once inside, Norman was blatantly avoidant of her, but she supposed avoidant was better than hostile. He fully reactivated her Nav, but otherwise did not interact with her. She bid farewell to Genevieve. Then she and Wally set off.

Going to Mauville by way of Rusturf Tunnel was certainly a quicker route than circling around a third of Hoenn, but the individual legs of the journey took a little longer than it had for Morgan the first time. But that was okay. It gave her and Wally time to talk. He was actually a pretty cool kid, and his upbeat attitude- particularly contrasted with how timid he was when Morgan first met him- was oddly refreshing, even if she did think him fairly naive for it.

The one thing that drove her crazy was the lack of good training opportunities. Between having already fought so many local trainers and Wally handling half of what battles they did have, Morgan was growing concerned she wouldn't be up to par when they arrived in Mauville.

… Unless, of course, she snuck out to train while Wally was asleep. She wandered most nights of their journey until she found Secret Base locations. When they were empty, she was able to ditch her Nav temporarily in them and sneak just past the edge of the boundary line for training. When they were not, sometimes the trainers inside were willing to battle.

In one such battle, someone accidentally killed Morgan's Beedrill. In another, she accidentally killed the other trainer's Medicham. She felt bad about the latter, but the prior was harder to explain… She felt very lucky that they bought a wild Pokemon had jumped her while on an insomnia-induced walk, but she'd have to be more careful. She doubted they'd buy it twice.

They finally made it to Mauville with relatively little incident, though, and both crashed in the Pokemon Center for the evening.

The following morning, it was time to part ways. Wally wanted to see if he could finally challenge Wattson, while Morgan had to meet up with Sera.

"Thank you so much again for everything, Morgan," Wally told her. "Next time we meet, I hope I'm strong enough that we can have a real battle."

Morgan nodded. "That Kirlia of yours is quite the little fighter. I'm sure you'll do great. Just keep in mind your limits and pace yourself, and you'll do fine."

Wally smiled. "Thanks. … But is that a yes?"

"Hm?"

"That you'll battle me next time."

Given they had no idea whether 'next time' would be in a few days or a few months, Morgan didn't know if that was wise… But she shrugged anyway. "Yeah, I guess."

Wally beamed. "Great! Then it's a promise~" She didn't know if she'd call it a- "See you, Morgan!" Ha.. Well, then okay.


	21. Southern Island

Morgan had already been waiting about twenty minutes when she got a text from Sera: 'Camped south of town, just waking up. Be there in like an hour.' So it seemed she had time to kill…

Oh hey! While she was in Mauville… He hadn't really gotten back in touch with her- (unless one of the unsigned letters was his? Probably not but she couldn't be sure)- but she supposed she may as well stop by Inver's place.

Releasing Mithril, she asked, "Hey. Do you remember where that Psychic Place was?" She felt certain the beeps to follow were affirmative but snarky. "No one asked for sass, mixter," she teased back.

When she arrived, she found him just opening shop for the day, and somewhat groggy, but still happy to see her. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Surprise?" teased Morgan. "Aren't you supposed to be psychic?"

"... Look, not all psychics do premonition, okay? I've got a specialized practice here." Morgan smirked a bit in response.

He invited her in, apologized for not getting back to her sooner, and also for not having been able to turn up much. He'd found reports of other trainers who claimed to have experienced a change in their abilities after arriving in Hoenn, in one way or another; and realized that all current and former competitors he could find had a similar 'there one minute, here the next' experience. But confirming that her case was not unique was hardly report-worthy.

"Mm, that kind of sucks, yeah. Thanks for trying, though," she said.

Inver nodded. "I'll continue keeping an ear out as well."

Morgan could imagine Mithril snarking something about using both, and she smiled. Inver looked between them questioningly, though. "...What is it?" she asked. And.. why did she now get the feeling that Inver knew something she didn't? Or rather, that Mithril knew Inver knew something she-...?

"When did you pick that up?" he asked.

"Pick what up?"

He blinked. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. But I could sense your telepathic connection, so I was just curious."

Tele-...? "...Wait. All this time I thought I was just imagining Mithril, but xe's-?"

_Yes_, she now realized Mithril was saying.

"Oh. You didn't realize you were doing it?"

She thought on it. "I don't…_ think_ I usually hear xir _clearly_ so much as get vague impressions, so maybe that's why?"

"Ahh." Inver put a hand to his chin. "It sounds like it's still very unrefined, either because your mind is not properly susceptible yet or because Mithril's capacity for telepathy is still developing. Though many Psychic-types do, not _all_ Metang or Metagross have the ability at all, you know. You're fairly lucky xe's one who did."

"Huh. Neat?"

"Since you expressed interest in learning psychic arts, I'd suggest working on refining that, and seeing if your bond with xir can open any more doors from there."

"Oh?" Suddenly, Morgan's mind flashed back to Claydol driving back the Chatot. (Had Mithril been the one to tell her they were called Chatot, then?) When the wave passed through her, she felt… something. It hurt, but it also felt… _familiar_, in retrospect. "Oh! Yes. Yes, thank you. We will definitely work on that." She smiled lightly. "I guess this turned into a pretty okay trip after all."

Inver chuckled. "Well I'm happy to help!"

* * *

"Sorry I'm a little late!" Sera said.

"No problem. I expected it," replied Morgan.

"I found a _great_ place to camp on Route 110, though. I'd tell you where, but it's a _Secret._" Sera winked.

"Hm? Oh, heh. A permanent, personal Secret?" Sera nodded happily. "So what. Is it filled with plushes and contest magazines?" Morgan teased dryly.

Sera thought about her secret base, with its earth and fire patterned carpets, dim lighting, simple bed, and- most prominently- literal shrine to the deity of earth where she had set up candles to light. "... Yeah, something like that."

"So now what. It's been longer since our last battle than we'd even been adventuring before… our _break_," Morgan muttered. "But we haven't trained much in that time, so… Are we going to battle anyway, or are you here to babysit me longer, or are we just gonna flip a coin to see who heads west first, or…"

Sera shook her head. "Don't think of it as babysitting-" Morgan groaned; it was clearly too late. Sera giggled. "No, this one's on me. I just want to walk together today. Tomorrow I'll even let you go ahead of me if you want." Morgan sighed, but grudgingly agreed.

Truth be told, Sera did have ulterior motives. She was supposed to be meeting Tabitha to help provide a little PR and peacefully, legally obtain some information from the Hoenn Weather Institute. She knew it might be a little risky, but thought maybe if Morgan saw how reasonable and friendly Magma could be, it might earn her… if not respect, perhaps at least tolerance or passing interest?

Of course, now that their Navs were both fully reactivated, Sera couldn't just waltz up to Team Magma willy-nilly, but the rendezvous was schedule at a Secret spot, and with signal cut off, they'd be able to ditch their Navs long enough for the endeavor, hopefully.

Now, all they had to do was get there…

* * *

Morgan thought it odd there was no ferry service and seemingly no easy way around the inlet, but apparently that was intentional. According to Sera, the natural division of the region meant East Hoenn had developed a somewhat more dangerous population of Pokemon than West Hoenn, and most agreed it was good that needing to be able to cross either the sea or the mountains to travel between them helped prevent citizens from getting in over their heads.

It was telling, too, then, that East Hoenn was far less populated that its sister: a single, uniquely wild city inland, a port city, and several islands hardly compared to the west.

Sera insisted Morgan ride Tank across the water with her. She realized she didn't have a huge variety of prime surf candidates anymore, but Morgan was still not convinced Sera wasn't just ("just") suggesting that to make Morgan hold onto her the whole time.

Doing so resulted in mixed feelings, somewhere between 'not complaining' and '...but actually.'

How could Sera just act like nothing was wrong? Did she think being friendly or Morgan's being distracted by a more permanent injury would make up for killing Cerebus? Morgan had done a little researching during her downtime. Blaze Kick had been repeatedly shown to land critical hits more than most moves. As encyclopedic as Sera's Pokemon knowledge was, she _had_ to have known- _especially_ as a nearly-signature move of her prized Pokemon. Even if she didn't think it was _likely_, she should never have increased the risk.

But she was also cute and soft and warm… Which could have easily turned into too hot, but their bare feet in the water kept them fairly cool, and Tank kept such a nice leisurely pace… They gently rocked with the waves, but not enough to make her feel sick, just enough to be nice...

Morgan mentally sighed. Well, this was mentally unpleasant, but not physically, she supposed, so she'd count that as a silver lining.

Thankfully, it only took about 10 minutes to cross, and Morgan was able to quickly pull herself away to dry her feet and pull her boots back on. She went ahead then, knowing Sera would be close in tow, but thinking if she could have just a little distance it might help.

The vegetation out here was starting to get a lot thicker and more decidedly tropical. Morgan wondered if its off-route areas were proportionately thicker and more dangerous, or if the charted routes were just less developed by comparison to the wilds here.

She did not have long to ponder, however, as her attention was soon draw to a pulse of energy from nearby. She jumped, but then realized it was aimed not at her, but at her Nav, which continued to float alongside her, but seemed now engulfed by a thin aura.

Examining it, she found it cycling through options and searching for signal, reminding her of the first time she visited Inver's shop. ...Of course! Why didn't she think of that? If psychic interferance could temporarily mess up-

_But wait_ who would be doing this? She braced herself for ambush as she looked around, but her eyes landed on… That looked like Mithril, but all… _weird_ and _blue._ Near the Metang, a familiar silver-haired trainer stepped out of the trees, starting to wave at Morgan- but his smile soon shifted to a look of fear as his gaze jumped to Sera coming up just behind her.

He stumbled a step back, hissed something under his breath, and ordered his Metang to gltich Sera's Nav as well. Morgan thought he still might bolt, but Sera was already doing a double-take as she saw him. "I-! S-_Starla?!_ Is that _you?_"

Steven cringed and groaned. Morgan turned slowly to Sera. "You mean Steven?"

Sera looked between the two, then said to Morgan. "I? No, I'm pretty good with faces; I'm almost _positive_ that's Starla Stone, heir to Devon and League Champion."

The Champion sighed. "Well, you got two out of three," he replied. "It's Steven."

After a few seconds, Sera covered her mouth. "Oh- Oh gods I'm sorry I didn't mean to- I didn't know?"

Ah, shit. And now Morgan realized she'd been an ass back in Granite Cave. Welp. She couldn't remember exactly what she'd said anymore, but was pretty sure it wasn't as shitty as Sera, at least. "Well, that answers how your voice is so much deeper than last time." What? Why did she say that? Ugh, damn her lack of filter lately.

But to her relief, Steven's face actually lit. "Is it? I thought so, but I hear myself all the time, and so do most of my friends. It's nice to get some outside confirmation." So that _could_ have gone horribly but Morgan was glad it worked out.

Hesitantly, Sera asked, "W-what are you doing _here_, though?"

Steven crossed his arms and shifted his weight. "Well, I _was_ waiting for Morgan, but I thought she'd be traveling alone." He muttered something Morgan didn't quite catch, but she pieced together enough to guess he hadn't been watching her broadcast this morning.

...Oh, but heh. "Does that mean you've been tuning in after all?"

"Occasionally," Steven shrugged, though he wore a coy smile. As it faded to a more gentle one, he added, "I'm glad you're back on your feet, though I'm sorry you had to come back to these ridiculous Games. I was hoping I might be able to help."

Sera seemed a little surprised at the Games comment, but held her tongue in that regard in favor of, "S-sorry if I'm intruding…"

Steven shook his head. "You're all right. Just don't mention this to anyone. Dad seems like he's… _starting_ to come around, but he's still convinced the general public simply couldn't _handle_ someone as important as _me_ being trans." He rolled his eyes heavily.

Sera tilted her head. "...Um. Isn't Lisia one of the biggest stars in Hoenn, though? And she's-?"

The sound Steven made might have been called a chuckle if it weren't so derisive. "Sometimes blamed for 'corrupting' me," he finished. "Her little brother and I have been inseparable since we were kids, and she used to babysit us a lot."

Sera tried not to smile, but ended up saying somewhere between a squeak and a mumble, "That's adorable…" Morgan barely knew who Lisia was and wasn't sure if she was supposed to know who the mentioned brother was, so she couldn't really comment.

"Well, daddy dearest is still somehow convinced she did anything but provide context for what I was feeling. And-" he then put on a mocking tone- "oh, but _sweetie!_ I _guess_ it's fine for something _frivolous_ like a _contest star_, but _you_ have a _serious reputation_ and _responsibility!_ How will people put their faith in you if they can't see you as _consistent._" He shook his head. "Or some nonsense like that. He's come up with a lot of excuses but I've gotten Cobalt to help erase most of them." He nodded to his Metang.

"I'm so sorry," murmured Sera.

"Yeah, that.. What a dick. I'm sorry for helping him get in touch with you," Morgan said.

But Steven shrugged lightly. "Nothing for either of you to be sorry about. And actually, I'm grateful to you, Morgan. He's still got… a _long_ way to go, but that letter was the closest thing I've gotten to an apology, even if it _did_ mostly seem like hoping to placate me so I'd get back to running the League his way." He smirked. "Based on the news lately, it seems people start questioning Devon's competence when they're denied the brute strength needed to enforce all their ridiculous policies and silence dissenters. Who'd have guessed."

Morgan huffed something akin to a laugh. "Why do I get the feeling you. You'd have guessed." Steven smiled coyly and offered a sweeping shrug in response.

But Sera frowned. "So… Morgan and I had to face two organized rebellion groups on our own because you're fighting with your dad?"

"Hm?" Steven shifted his weight again. "Well it's a little more nuanced than all that. His personal disrespect helped serve as my breaking point, but I dislike a lot of his methods of leadership in general. Using these violent 'Games' as a distraction not the least among his listed offenses." He brought a hand to his chin. "You could call this… a persuasion tactic."

"Seems reasonable," said Morgan.

"But? I mean… I've realized more since I actually became a player that the Games could probably use some revisions, but players get full free health care and even some ability to revive our Pokemon. It's more violent than contests, but? Is it really all that…?"

Steven sighed. "Do you really believe it's that simple?"

"...Wha'd'you mean?" Morgan could take a few guesses, but didn't want to; Sera, however, was entirely bewildered.

He shook his head. "Just… I hope you aren't taking your Pokemon for granite." His eyes suddenly widened as he fumbled and corrected, ".._Granted…_"

… "Wait!" It suddenly clicked now. "Are you the one that helped me revive Cerberus?"

Steven smiled. "I am. Is… he doing all right, by the way?"

"As far as I can tell. He seems a little calmer and more cautious than he used to be, but I'm guessing that's not uncommon?"

He nodded, but then, "...Wait. But how did you _know _it was…" His already pale face went whiter. "...Please don't tell me I forgot to turn off Pokéfy."

"What?"

He covered his face. "I… I have this word replacer app that-... I swear I wasn't sitting there coming up with rock puns while you were grieving. I'm so sorry."

"Eheh. I love that app," said Sera. "But I guess it's lucky you were watching when you were, huh?"

"Not at all," replied Steven, seeming to welcome the subject change. "When I got word of the incident in Fallarbor, I made my way to Mt. Chimney and decided to hang back when it seemed like the two of you could handle it. I kept a very close eye on you in the days afterward, though, just in case our _friends_ got any bright ideas about seeking revenge."

For some reason, that seemed to get Sera on edge. Weird. Maybe she didn't like the idea of Big Brother watching? But she didn't seem to have a problem with her Nav, so Morgan didn't know what her deal was.

"Well, thank you," said Morgan. "I definitely appreciate it a lot. …. I uh. I know my tone probably understates that. But really, I don't know what I'd do without him."

"I could tell..." Steven approached, then, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let me ask you… Both of you.

"What do Pokemon mean to you?" More to Morgan, he asked, "Are they a means to an end?" And more to Sera, "A test of skill?" Splitting his focus more, he asked, "Are they friends, or tools, or some combination of both? Should they exist to enrich our lives, or us theirs, or can there be some measure of both? Is it mutual give and take, or cycles of alternating back and forth?"

Neither trainer seemed to be jumping to give him an answer, and eventually he sighed. "Well, I suppose it's good you're not too quick to answer. Perhaps that means you're still seeking the truth, rather than thinking you have it figured out already." He removed his hand at last and turned away, smiling lightly, raising a hand to his chin. "Forgive me. I know we only met once, and it probably seems like an eon ago. But somehow, I just find myself wanting to know what you think..."

Morgan… wasn't sure what to make of that. But she… might not mind sharing her thoughts, or knowing his, for that matter… She couldn't tell if it was still just his stunning appearance or the way he spoke or something else, but there really was something captivating about him, wasn't there…

"I suppose I've kept you longer than I meant to, but before-"

He was cut off by a loud borderline-avian cry. Just then, two Pokemon literally appeared from thin air.

_Is one of you the human known as the Champion?_ a telepathic voice rang out, crystal clear even to Morgan. It seemed to come from the red creature.

"I am?" answered Steven.

_Please, help us,_ implored the blue one. _Our leaders are in danger._

Sera seemed unnerved by the request, fidgeting and checking her watch. What, did she have some place to be? Oh, actually, Morgan imagined she was just worried about how long their Navs had been offline. Well, not much to be done now.

All the same, when Steven asked if they would help, Sera answered, "Of course. What can we do?"

* * *

Sera had called dibs on Latias, and Morgan was 98% sure it was just because she was red. But… There were two of them, and three trainers. More, these were apparently children, not as large as adults of their species. So Latias was barely big enough to carry Sera alone. Which left Latios to carry both Steven and Morgan.

Morgan had tried not to complain too much about riding Tank behind Sera.

Morgan _was_ mentally complaining about riding Latios behind Steven.

Specifically, she was complaining about landing. And it being over. Why was it already over?

On the bright side, this far out, their Navs had no hope of achieving a signal. So that was a plus.

Their rides had explained along the way that their leaders- a sibling duo- guarded two sacred stones, and that strange invaders had arrived on the island seeking them out. Granted, they had Steven at "sacred stones", but they'd continued anyway. Most of the flock was in hiding, but the leaders refused to abandon the stones, so a few of the youngest members had fled to find help. They dared not accompany the humans close enough to the invaders to be noticed, but they'd pointed them in the right direction before becoming invisible once again.

As they walked, Morgan began to hear an inkling of a voice, like the faint touch she heard when Mithril spoke to her, but she couldn't make it out, at least at first. It grew louder and clearer. _Those whose memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts._ And a few moments later, again, in a different voice. _Those whose memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts._ Twice more it was repeated, first by the first voice, then the second. Finally, it stopped. Sera and Steven didn't look like they'd experienced anything strange? ...O...kay. Morgan would have asked, but worried they may think she was losing it.

A minute later, they walked up on a group of Team Aqua members, because of course they did. They were being followed by a group of Team Magma members, because…?

A brick wall of a man standing easily six-and-a-half feet tall or more seemed to be in charge of Aqua. "-find your own mission for once!?" he was in the middle of shouting at Magma's leader, a petite girl with pink hair and-...

"You don't have a sister, do you?" Morgan quietly asked Sera.

"What? No, now shoosh." Okay, good point. If they hadn't been noticed yet, maybe they could pick something up by eavesdropping.

"Following you is… efficient."

The man growled. "I swear by the sea if you don't stop sayin' that I'm gonna-"

"You will not harm me," the girl answered. "You should remember… you have tried. Such efforts… do not work in your favor."

"Oh yeah?" That seemed to fluster him. "W-well, what if I just beat up all your lackeys, then?"

"Whoo! You tell her, Matt!" a female Aqua grunt cheer, among a few whoops and hollars from others.

"Their presence is desirable, but optional."

"... M-..Mistress Courtney?" questioned a nervous male grunt.

Matt scoffed. "Whatever. Just stay out of our way. I'm gonna get those Mega Stones for my bro and you're not about to stop me."

"Mega Stones?" Both groups turned. How was Steven the one who got them noticed.. On one hand, Morgan supposed someone as powerful as him did not need discretion as often as most. On the other, he'd been laying low for apparently almost a year now? How could he not be quiet for all of five minutes?

"Hot damn, who's that?" one of the Aqua girls asked.

"I wouldn't mind finding out…" mumbled one of the Magma girls.

"... I'm both envious and aroused, holy shit," muttered an Aqua guy.

Morgan was glad she wasn't the only one.

"Wait, I think I know him from somewhere…" said a Magma guy. The trio and Admins all looked to the grunt questioningly, the trio more apprehensive. "Ah, where was it… Is he a contest star, or something, maybe?"

"... Yes," said Courtney.

"What? No, that's not it!" cried an Aqua girl. "I watch contests all the time and I've never seen him."

"Was he on a late night show?" "_I'd_ pay to see him in a late night show _if you know what I mean._" "Dude settle down he's _right there._" Such banter went on until both groups were pretty thoroughly involved in the chat.

"We don't have _time for this!_" Matt finally snapped, silencing them.

"Then perhaps you have time to explain just what you're doing here," Steven said at last.

"I don't have to explain jack to you, prettyboy," Matt growled.

"The Mega Stones," answered Courtney. "No more, no less. … That is what… What we of Team Magma seek. It is presumed… Aqua wants the same."

"You-!? Why would you _do_ that?!" Courtney did not acknowledge him with so much as a glance. "And wha'd'you mean _presume? _You literally stole this plan from us!"

"Irrelevant."

As Matt was about to go off again, Morgan spoke up. "This is super amusing and everything, but can we move it along, please? Isn't this the part where we battle, or something?"

"Huh? Who's this kid?" Matt asked.

"Wait… Aren't those the trainers from Mt. Chimney?" asked one of the Aqua grunts.

"Shit, I think you're right!" answered another.

Matt brightened at that, letting out a hearty laugh. "Ah! Now I see!" he exclaimed. "So you're a pretty strong dude, aren't ya?" Was he talking to Morgan? Heh, that was one impression she'd never expected to make. "Tell you what, kids. You stay out of our way, and we won't have to rough you up."

Just then, a new Aqua grunt came barreling out of the nearby woods, pushing his way through the Magma grunts between himself and Matt, then stopping and panting heavily to catch his breath. "S-sir! I think I found them!"

"AHA! Great job, boyo!" He clapped the grunt on the back.

They started to walk off, then, when Morgan called. "Hey! What did I just say?"

"I'm afraid if you think we're going to let you steal such precious treasures from the Pokemon of this island, you are sorely mistaken," added Steven.

"... Y-yeah," added Sera weakly. Man, she was quiet today.

Matt glared down at them, but then shifted to a forced smile. "Look… You seem like cool dudes. And I love strong, interesting dudes like you. But most of all, I love my bro Archie. So unless you want me to start _lovin' _you _real_ good, I suggest you stay out of my way. Because my bro wants those Mega Stones, and you're not about to get between me and serving my bro."

A small cough rose from Magma's side: "No bromo…"

"_Who fucking said that?" _Matt snapped, suddenly livid. Squaring up, he stormed over to the Magma ranks. Courtney remained put, stone-faced as ever, but the grunts all cowered a bit in the mountainous man's shadow. "_Yes_," he told them. "Fuck _yes_ bromo. Yes romo and _yes homo._ When I say I love my bro, I mean _I fucking love my bro, _and I _love fucking_ my bro. Now which one of you little chickenshits has a problem with it?!"

There was no response.

"That's what I fucking thought," he spat. Shoving half the group aside, he declared, "Make way for the homo superior." ...Morgan wondered what it said about their worlds that she understood that reference? But Matt pushed his way through them and headed toward the woods from which the scout had come, but was cut off by Flash suddenly blocking the path.

During Matt's tirade, the trio had spread out, each releasing a few Pokemon, and now finished moving into position to box both groups in. Tank, Mithril, Cerebus, Cobalt, Pelt, Kitsun, and Steven's Skarmory and Aggron.

"I think you'll find you're not going anywhere," Steven said pleasantly.

While Matt growled, Courtney replied, "Anticipated. Squadron… formation. Target… locking."

The Magma grunts organized. The Aqua grunts went wild. Both admins sent out Pokemon as well. Shockingly, despite the numerical advantage held by the teams, having the _Champion_ on their side counted for something. Steven took down about three quarters of the opposing Pokemon by himself. The rest were easily dispatched between Sera and Morgan, particularly with Kitsun's Miracle Eye to help with the Dark-types. Several weaker enemy Pokemon and Courtney's Camerupt were killed in the crossfire.

It didn't surprise Morgan that this finally got a reaction out of Courtney, but what that reaction entailed certainly did.

Eyes suddenly bright- _very_ bright?- she licked her lips menacingly, then produced a strange chiming sound that Morgan didn't think she could imitate if she tried. "Unanticipated," said Courtney. Wearing an eerie smile, but voice nearly as monotone as ever, she went on, "Commencing… experiment. You. Forever. " There was that chime again. An unnatural laugh followed, before she went suddenly blank again and turned away unceremoniously. "Returning home." Magma's ranks followed awkwardly behind her.

"...That wasn't terrifying or anything," muttered Morgan.

"_Gods_, I know, _right?"_ commented Matt. "Try dealing with that all the time."

Steven crossed his arms. "You know, I'd like to have every one of you arrested, but as far out as this island is, waiting for authorities could be tedious. As such, I suggest you get moving as well, before I decide it's worth the wait."

"..Y-yeah!" said Matt. "We'll uh… do that. Let's move out, boys!"

All the Aqua grunts followed, but one of the girls did ask, "...Sir?"

Once they were all gone, Steven pondered, "Will the Legendary Pokemon truly be safe now, or will they just come right back to try again?"

_I suspect they will indeed,_ came a strong, decidedly masculine voice. A Latios nearly seven feet long appeared then.

A Latias- smaller than him but much larger than the one that carried Sera here- appeared as well. _My brother and I have discussed this in detail. You young trainers fought valiantly in defense of our home and our treasures out of the goodness of your hearts, and we would like to reward you for your effort._

"What?" asked Sera. "We don't need any-"

_Precisely_, replied Latios.

_With your blessing,_ said Latias, _we would accompany you for a time._

_Our flock will seek out a new home,_ Latios went on. _Perhaps in time we will rejoin them, or perhaps new leaders will be selected. In the meantime, our treasures seem safer in your hands than in those of humans who would take them by force._

"I-? O-okay," stuttered Morgan. So a minor god was _asking_ to join them? "But wait. There are three of us, and two of you, right?"

Latias floated to Morgan, then, and Latios to Sera. _We have made our decisions,_ Latios said.

_I-if you would have us_, added Latias.

"What about Steven?" Sera asked. The dragons did not answer.

After some ten seconds, Steven smiled lightly. "Very well… In that case, it seems you'll both be in need of these." He pulled a bracelet from his pant pocket, and the stickpin from his shirt pocket. "I'd intended to give one to Morgan, but it seems under the circumstances…"

Sera stared, mouth agape. "What? Y-you can't just part with your _Key Stone?_"

Steven shrugged. "It will take some time, but I can always forge another."

"..Forge?" asked Morgan.

"Find," said Steven. "I can find another, probably."

Huh. Well, okay. Sera gave Morgan first pick, so she went with the stickpin, while Sera took the bracelet.

"Congratulations," said Steven. "It seems you're now both users of Mega Evolution."


	22. Heating Up

Steven did not accompany them back to the mainland, deciding instead to take his Skarmory and (a) see if he could catch sight of Magma's or Aqua's trails, and (b) if not, continue straight to his next destination rather than going back to Route 118 first.

But before he left, he did teach them a bit about how Mega Evolution worked. He gifted Morgan a piece of Metagrossite to use when Mithril evolved, and upon seeing it Sera realized it resembled a 'good luck charm' she'd been carrying all along, which Steven identified as actually being a piece of Blazikenite. Also, apparently Kitsun picked up a piece of Alakazite somewhere? When did _that_ happen? Gosh, look at all these Mega Stones coming out of the woodwork, as if some divine orchestrator of their fates had just decided to throw them in all at once rather than calling the trainers's attention to them earlier. Strange.

As Morgan and Sera prepared to leave, Sera asked, "So hey. Do you guys have names, like among your flock?"

_I am called Sapphron_, the Latios answered.

Latias was not so forthcoming. _I… ah… _

"Sup?" asked Morgan.

_My name is… a little embarrassing to say to humans,_ she said.

_Sister, your name is beautiful,_ said Sapphron.

_It sounds like a human disease though…_ Apparently telepaths could mumble. Who knew? She sighed. _It's Rubelle._

"Aww. Well _I_ think it's pretty," said Sera.

"If you don't like it, why not change it?" asked Morgan. "You guys do stuff with light, right? What about something like… Theia, Faron, or Andraste?"

Sera blinked. "Don't you think it's a little strange to just casually rename a godde-"

_I really like Andraste!_ the Latias exclaimed with a smile.

"Oh. All right, then."

As the trainers climbed aboard their new mounts and companions, Sapphron inquired as to whether or not they should Mega Evolve. Apparently, doing so would allow them to access more power and achieve greater speeds, but would leave them more tired after. Morgan insisted their day had been stressful enough and that a leisurely flight would be fast enough.

Sera was more concerned with the time, but could not say why. _Showing_ Morgan had been the plan. But just _telling_ her, especially after this incident- which Sera was very much questioning herself, having been told nothing of such an endeavor- did not seem wise. With no means of supporting her argument for fear of exposure, Morgan won out, and they set out atop their very normal Latias and Latios.

Every minute that passed was like needles driving into Sera's sense of awareness. She technically wasn't late _just_ yet when they left the island, but it wasn't long after the clock struck time. They'd still most the flight to go. The Latis were some of the fastest creatures ever observed by humans. Certainly some Pokemon had quicker combat reflexes, but in terms of travel speed they made the Salamence she'd taken to Slateport feel like a Torkoal by comparison.

All the same, they weren't back _yet_, and once they landed, they still had to explain the Latis to the League, get them properly registered, and _then_ she still had to make her way to the Weather Institute. Would Tabitha wait for her at all? And if so, for how long? Would he give up and leave, or… Surely he wouldn't do anything reckless… right?

Eugh, one way or another, he was bound to be _pissed_…

W-well… No reason she had to be anxious _and_ bored, right? She had Sapphron fly close enough that she could talk to Morgan. "So hey~ How does it feel being friends with a Legendary Pokemon, eh?"

"Hm?" Morgan barely glanced her way. "Oh, uh. I guess it's probably pretty neat. I don't… really have the same kind of context that you do so I can't really form as solid of an opinion. They're not, like, Actual Gods the way some legends are, right? Or are they, like, demigods or something?"

_I'm not sure I'd go that far…_ said Andraste.

_You're too Modest, _replied Sapphron. _It is true that our kind are more numerous and less powerful than some Pokemon in existence. But we are guardians, lorekeepers, and messengers. Those things are not without merit, and there is nothing wrong with taking pride in our status._

Sera smiled brightly. "I'll say!"

"You would," muttered Morgan.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"... Okay. Well, anyway. I guess it's really hard to say for sure since so little is officially documented, but a lot of stories I've read suggest that there are more than one of quite a few species that are considered legendary. For instance, there are mixed reports on Entei, Raikou, and Suicune."

Morgan grimaced. "I see… I guess we can _hope_ there's more than one each of those, so at least Magma and Aqua aren't killing off entire species."

Sera winced. "I don't think either of them are trying to _hurt_ the beasts they're using?"

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Right. And I suppose that thing built into Entei's face was, what? A fashion accessory?"

… Fidget. "Wwwell," said Sera. "What if it's... a prosthetic? What if, say, Entei had been badly injured and Magma helped to save it?"

"Ugh… Right. They just saved a poor hurt demigod out of the goodness of their hearts, and Entei stuck around to thank its new friends by doing battle with its own siblings. That sounds likely."

O-okay, so it… _was_ pretty strange that Entei was so willing to fight with both Suicune and Raikou. And for that matter, that the other two were at odds as well. Sera supposed on a personal level she felt inclined to believe Raikou was the one on the "right" side, if any of the three was. But she hadn't had a chance to _talk_ to either of the others, and she didn't want to believe Magma would forcibly control Entei or that Tabitha would lie to her about Entei having been injured, and on top of _that_ she still hadn't managed to figure out where she'd seen the emblem around Raikou's neck.

Subject change? Yes good. "I still can't believe you guys chose us over Steven, though. He was _amazing._"

_Our choices were made based on heart, not skill_, said Sapphron.

Sera chose to take that more to their credit than Steven's detriment. "Lucky us, huh?" she said. "I've seen him battle before, but it's so much different up close. … Well, different in more than the obvious way, heh. Given he hadn't come out yet back then."

Morgan gave her a sideglance. "I mean, it sounded like he's not really 'out' _now_, at least publically, but…"

"Right, true." He _had_ asked her not to mention it. "That's a shame, though. I wonder why not?"

"...Literally any of countless equally valid reasons that he doesn't need to explain to anyone?"

Sera flinched slightly at that defensive tone. "Of course, I just mean- As skilled and powerful as he is-"

"He still has family capable of affecting him and other reasons that he doesn't feel like dealing with right now? You're right, I agree."

"I didn't- Where is this coming from?"

"Where is what?" asked Morgan. "He mentioned friends, it's not like he's isolating himself. He probably just doesn't want the _entire region_ talking about it right now, and unlike _some of us_ he actually has the _option_ of privacy. So forgive me if it seems kind of shitty for you to weigh in on that decision."

"...O-okay, I see your point but…" Sera bit her lip. "That's… starting to sound a little personal?"

Morgan rubbed her head. "Can we drop it?"

"Y-yeah… Sorry, I guess. I didn't mean to hit a…. Sorry."

After some twenty seconds of silent tension, Sapphron asked, _Ssso… What was the deal with the uniforms those teams were wearing, anyway? I haven't actively visited human lands in over ten years, but even I'm pretty sure those looked ridiculous._

Sera readily embraced the distraction and chuckled. "Yeah… Who knows? I mean, I get that Team Aqua likes the ocean, but pirates? They're literally thieves dressing like _different_ thieves. It's like they're not even _trying_ to pretend they're not Bad Guys, right?"

Morgan barked a thin laugh, rolling her eyes. "At least pirates are a sort of popular aesthetic in general. Even if that's only _slightly_ better than Team We Are Literal Demons."

Sera pursed her lips. "... Yeah but. ...Red."

Morgan moved in such a way that Sera could tell she'd resisted facepalming. "Sera… No. Like it's my favorite color _too_, but. That really doesn't do much to salvage their look."

_Well I do approve of the color choice_, teased Andraste.

_Afraid Aqua gets my vote there,_ Sapphron teased back.

"I dunno… I think the horns are kind of cute, actually…" Sera mumbled.

"You think _everything_ is cute."

"I literally _just_ got through saying I don't like Team Aqua's uniforms? Not… saying I _like_ Magma's, or anything." At all. Nope. Courtney wasn't utterly precious and her outfit didn't make Sera want one. Not… at all. "I just, appreciate some of the aspects. Which happen to include the horns, and the color."

"Uh-huh." Oh no, could she tell? N-no, Sera was just being paranoid… "I suppose you want to trade Latis because mine is red, too, hm?"

"..."

"...Sera."

"I uh…"

"Sera I was joking."

"I wasn't going to _say_ anything but maybe a little…"

And _there_ was a facepalm proper.

_Personally, I'd rather not,_ said Sapphron.

"O-oh! I mean, that- That was _why_ I wasn't going to- It has nothing to do _with you,_ as an individual, I just-..." She was allowed to be slightly jealous the Latias chose Morgan, right?

_Well, I'm a little flattered_, said Andraste with a small laugh. _But… How do I say this…? I feel Morgan's... soul? calls to me more?_

"Oh…" Sera averted her gaze, partially to avoid seeing Morgan suddenly looking somewhat smug.

But Sapphron chuckled. _You weren't my consolation prize, you know. My sister and I simply seek out different things from our friends._

"Oh~" Well now she felt better. ...Although. "Are you sure you're all right with splitting up once we get to the mainland?"

_Honestly, no. But should our fashion-challenged friends seek our Mega Stones again, better to not have both in one place, _Sapphron answered. Once again, when the word 'friends' was used, Sera fought the urge to flinch. ..._Hm?_ To her horror, she felt Sapphron touch her mind then, and felt a slew of incriminating memories rushing to the forefront. But to her relief, all he said in response was, _Interesting._ She also got the impression that word may or may not have been private between them.

_...Sorry and thank you_, Sera thought at him. Both as follow-up and a general statement, she said aloud, "It seems like Aqua might be the bigger threat in that regard, considering they seemed to have been the ones who came up with the idea."

Morgan sideeyed again. "Yyyeah, but Magma's so underhanded they don't even try to pretend they're not blatantly stealing plans."

Sera tried not to bristle. "I mean… For all we know, that was responsive. What if they were… trying to keep that power out of Aqua's hands?" She could hope.

"Aqua aren't the ones who tried to form a new Mega Stone at Mt. Chimney," Morgan noted. "Between the two, it seems like Magma are more obsessed with getting power."

"_Okay_, but Magma aren't the ones who kidnapped Cozmo and stole the Devon parts and attacked the lift stations."

"But they did try to kidnap that captain, so it's not like either record is clean. And at least Aqua is..._trying_ to fight for the good of Pokemon, even if they have a weird way of doing it. Magma, meanwhile, is willing to send Pokemon to their deaths to create a diversion." Andraste gasped in horror, and Morgan muttered, "Yeah."

"At least Pokemon can be _revived_," Sera retorted. "Mura's injuries proved _Aqua_ doesn't care if people get caught in the crossfire, and you should _know_ how strongly in favor I am of Pokemon rights and human responsibility for their well-being, but that doesn't mean I support endangering humans in some ill-conceived attempt to… whatever it is they're even doing."

"You don't even know and you're going to act like Magma's land expansion idea is any less absurd. Unbelievable," Morgan muttered. "Are you _seriously_ suggesting they're the lesser evil here when they almost killed you?"

"I-" She couldn't very well say 'most of them are pretty nice' or 'Maxie scared me less than dad does actually' so she opted for a deflective, "Like having had slightly better personal luck with them means Aqua's any better."

"I mean, a little? Archie is a dangerous nut but at least he's chill in person. Which is more than can be said for the equally dangerous but more volatile asshole who wanted to _throw you in a volcano._" After a beat, she added even more derisively, "I'd say 'like a virgin sacrifice' but. Ha."

Sera's face heated, but… pun. If the mood were lighter, she'd probably have legitimately appreciated the joke, so she could at least take it now, right? Forcing a laugh that probably still came out a bit uncomfortable, she replied, "Y-yeah, I guess that ship has sailed."

She'd have continued the sacrifice joke, but Morgan replied first with a biting, "And seems like it'll make port in just about any harbor."

Any hint of smile fell away. "Morgan, what the hell…" But actually? Why should she take this? Hurt transforming into spite, Sera snapped back, "At least _one_ of us knows how to have fun in life."

"Yet you favor Magma, with its creepy-ass paramilatristic vibes. Good luck with _that._"

"I don't-" Was that too suspicious a denial? Instead she opted for, "I'm surprised you're not more creeped out by Aqua's total chaos. Can you even function without rules telling you what to do?"

"Bitch I _broke_ the damn rules. Or did you _forget_ already?"

"Did you really just-"

To the discomfort of their awkward mounts, the arguing continued until, at long last, they reached the mainland. _Finally_.

And of course, the slower flight back meant they'd been gone longer meant everyone was that much more worried about their absence meant it took that much longer to explain. To avoid mentioning Steven's involvement, said explanations also took a few embellishments on their end and a little downplaying of how much opposition they were up against. Sera wished they'd been rehearsing _that_ instead of arguing the whole way back. Lying was one thing; lying on the spot, without a solid plan, was another. But fortunately, they managed.

Officials were both pleased and apprehensive about their new friends, and- of _course_\- imposed the new rule that they could use the Latis to travel, but only to places they'd already been. No aimless exploring, and certainly no using them to speed through their charted route. The challenge still stood, after all.

By the time they were _finally_ released to get back to their journey, it was very, very late.

Sera was exhausted, but if… If she could just see her initial plan through. On the off chance Tabitha waited. If she could just _show_ Morgan maybe everything would be better. "Ssso, hey. I know we could probably set up camp, now, but do you wanna press on just a _little_ farther?" she asked.

"Yes," said Morgan. And she began to head east.

"Ah… Hey, the next route is actually northeast, if you wanna-"

"I don't." Morgan kept walking.

"But why are you going-"

Morgan stopped and gave an exasperated sigh, but did not look back. "You know, for someone who is so damn proud of being a professor's kid, you can be impossibly dense. I'm going this way because I _don't have the energy_ to _put up with_ you any longer today."

Sera shrank back. "I… I mean there's… not a lot to do that way, and it's… an uphill climb to go the really long way to Fortree, but…"

"Then I'll head back up 119 tomorrow. For now. Me. Leaving. Bye." Morgan continued walking away.

"...Well. I… didn't wanna walk with you anyway!" Sera called flimsily. "...Morgan I'm lying, I really miss you and I'm really sorry, please come back." She didn't. Unsurprising, given Sera didn't say that part very loudly…

Sera sighed. With Morgan gone and Sapphron resting in his new Pokeball, she found herself alone now, and that simply couldn't stand. But at the same time, she suddenly felt less like talking than she could remember feeling for… months, at the very least.

So… Pelt it was, then.

* * *

The Pokemon on this side of Hoenn really _did_ seem to be noticeably stronger. Too damn bad Morgan wouldn't be catching one yet, since she already fished for a Pokemon here back when.

That she'd Wonder Traded for Skitty.

Who Sera killed.

Before Morgan even settled on a name for her.

How was it even possible for someone to be so oblivious to everything, constantly? And the bigger mystery: how was Morgan ever, even briefly, actually attracted to someone so infuriating? She was almost completely certain at this point that she _must_ have just been mirroring Sera's affection.

Her perpetual optimism was probably a little endearing for a while, but it had become pretty hard to deny that was just ignorance and naivete.

She could feel that Mithril agreed.

Cerberus probably would have too, if he were privy to the conversation, but Morgan didn't want to burden him by asking. He had enough to deal with lately, thanks to someone.

Morgan didn't really know where she was going, or know when she planned to stop, but despite the stronger opponents they fell like flies in her wake, and there was something distinctly therapeutic about that feeling right now.

Mithril evolving only filled her with that much more energy. Metang was fine, but Metagross oozed an aura of power and authority. Morgan may have had the League breathing down her neck, and Sera as a thorn in her side, but having such impressive Pokemon yielding to her commands let her feel like she had _some_ control of her life. Knowing so few opponents could stand before them now helped her feel safer.

For tonight, she wouldn't venture beyond the boundary here, but with Mithril, she felt like she could.

Of course, xe couldn't have all the fun. Robit was another party member of the day, and finally evolved into Toxicroak. Excellent.

Morgan was vaguely aware she should start winding it down for the night just to avoid displeasing her superiors, but it wasn't like she was doing anything interesting. There were evolutions happening, but they didn't come by particularly notable means, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to keep going until she found good reason to stop or just got too tired.

Her reason eventually came in the form of a massive farm, not just overflowing with berries, but with many plots tilled already just waiting to be used. The local signs informed her this place was apparently a sort of give-and-take project, where travelers were encouraged to take part.

Looking to her bag filled with berries already, an idea started forming. Looking to Andraste's Pokeball, Morgan grinned.

She could _definitely _work with this…

* * *

Stupid Morgan, stupid Aqua, stupid- Okay so she couldn't say stupid Latis and Steven had proven pretty cool and she was happy to have a Key Stone now but-

Sera tripped and fell. Ugh, stupid-

Nothing?

The nothing hopped up and dusted itself off, and Sera caught sight of its zigzag stripe now. Right. "Pelt, you mind?"

Pelt quickly whittled down the Kecleon, and Sera was able to catch it to Wonder Trade for a Cherrim. Heh. Well, at least that was cute.

Getting held up by _another_ Kecleon on 119 was not ideal, but that one was traded for a Chespin! Sera didn't know how soon she'd get around to using it, but she'd always been fond of Kalos starters.

The vegetation had rapidly become ultra dense, and- in true rainforest fashion- of course it had to also be raining.

Fortunately, with her capture out of the way, she didn't have to be too careful about other wild Pokemon, and a Mega Blaziken was more than sufficient for everything in the area. Even if she swore that as soon as he first Mega Evolved, so did his ego. Heh.

The rendezvous spot was empty, and, growing more frustrated, she pressed farther ahead. To her dismay, shortly after the Weather Institute came into view, so did a line of red. She recalled all her Pokemon, lest she provoke them into attacking her on sight where there was a chance they might not.

As she rushed to it, one of the grunts standing guard caught sight of her. "Well look who showed up," she mumbled.

"Think we should keep her out?" asked the other.

The first grunt scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please. If she _is_ here as an enemy we'd barely slow her down. I'm not getting paid enough for this, personally."

"Good point," said the second. Calling out more to her, he said, "Hey kid! _Please_ don't go near the Weather Institute. It would be a _shame_ if you made them stop taking their sweet-ass time so we could get out of standing in this rain."

Sera wanted to say something, but her Nav still floated alongside her. Their words may be suspicious enough; the best thing she could do was ignore them.

She made her way inside to see… a very standard lobby? A few things seemed out of place, but the receptionist stood calm, almost bored, at the front desk.

"...I… Is… everything all right here?" Sera asked.

"Mm?" the receptionist replied. Barely glancing at Sera, she went on, "There seems to be a disturbance on the second floor, I suppose."

"Uh… You seem awfully calm?"

"I'm a professional," sighed the woman, idly turning a magazine page. "It takes more than this to get me rattled."

"...O...kay." So upstairs Sera went then.

Judging by the sight that awaited her, Tabitha had, _indeed_, gone and done something stupid and reckless. _Great…_

"Just… What… is this…" he was all but hissing to himself. "D-d-did Leader Maxie know that it would happen like this?!" When one of the scientists on staff tried to recover the papers Tabitha was looking over, Tabitha quickly shifted gears, backhanding the man right across the face and sending him flying into a group of other possibly-hostages.

Sera cringed.

"All of you, _shut up!_" Going through his stack of papers again, he only grew more furious. "Just. what. _is this?_" He let out a frustrated scream and threw the papers down. "You! What other records do you have?"

"Th-that's it, I swear!" exclaimed a scientist.

Tabitha grabbed her by her coat and pulled her closer. "If you're lying to me I _swear_ you will _regret it_."

"I-I'm not, I-" The woman spotted Sera, then. "Oh thank goodness, _help us, please!_"

Tabitha turned to face her, eyes wide, and quickly released the scientist. "How long have you been here," he seethed.

"N-not long…" Sera squeaked.

"How _dare_ you show your face _now. _Do you have _any earthly idea_-" As Sera started to cower, he bit his tongue. Through his teeth, he urged, "I _strongly_ suggest you step back in the hall."

Sera all but startled. "I can't just-?"

More tension under the surface, he urged again, "Sera. You _don't_ want to be _in here_." Calling her by name shook her for a few reasons, not the least of which was-... He followed her gaze to her Nav. "I see how it is." He turned to a grunt. "B-7! Keep her out of my hair."

"Y-yes sir!" Sera put up little fight when the grunt "pushed" her back into the hall, aka gave her an excuse to leave.

As she left, she could hear him talking to himself again. "Leader Maxie, what are you trying to _do?_ To the world, to _us?_" A loud sound made Sera flinch even before she heard him yell, "This can _never, EVER be FORGIVEN!_"

"I'll… teach _you_ to mess with Team Magma, uh… punk," the grunt feigned weakly. When Sera defeated him, another took his place.

When all her opposition had been dispatched, Sera hesitantly returned to the room, and quickly noticed several fist-sized holes in the wall she was quite certain hadn't been there before.

Tabitha forced a horrible mockery of a laugh. "Even I, Tabitha, am feeling all discombobulated… I can't seem to clear up this intensely unpleasant feeling welling inside of me." Making his way to Sera, he seemed visibly disoriented as he told her, "Step aside."

"I… I can't just let you walk out of here like nothing happened. You know I can't…"

An even weaker fake laugh followed. "_Fine,_" he snapped. Sending out his Camerupt, he asked, "Is this better? Or is this what you wanted all along? The heroine who stops big bad Team Magma."

Sera couldn't answer, but begged with her eyes as much as she could for him to know that wasn't the case. As both a means of discouraging him from using Ground attacks that would tear up the building _and_, she hoped, a visual explanation of what took her, Sera released Sapphron.

Tabitha's eyes went wide. "How on earth did you-" But he sneered then and called his attack.

Sera raised her bracelet, and felt her heart sync with Sapphron's. The sight of a Latios surprised Tabitha; while he tried not to show it, the sight of Mega Latios had him _scared._ "Luster Purge," Sera ordered.

When a few more attacks left his Camerupt unconscious, Tabitha did not seem willing to continue the fight, reverting instead to his forced, fake laugh.. "_Listen_, you _stress-inducing_ child," he hissed. "You're so determined to spring into action? When Leader Maxie enacts his plan, the land will not just be _expanded. _It will become _Desolate._ The plan was never supposed to be to _destroy_ the ocean entirely, but that is _exactly_ what might happen if this- _this-_" He emphasized with a wild gesture. "Do you _get it?_ He's going to kill us _all!_ If you're so determined to play heroine, you need to go after _him._ One way or another, he needs to be _stopped._"

Sera struggled to take it all in. "I-... Are you sure?" Of course, why wouldn't he be? "I definitely- I'll do my best to-..."

Pulling out a Pokeball, Tabitha replied, "I'm afraid I can't settle for just your best. I have to do what I can, too." He released his Arcanine, then. As his trainer climbed aboard his back, the beast lunged at Sera and Sapphron, causing both to dive out of the way. He blew a hole in the wall behind them, then, and leaped out into the wilderness.

But this time, rather than just watching the Magma Admin escape, Sera muttered under her breath, "Oh, like _hell_." She climbed aboard Sapphron, and took pursuit.


	23. Taking a Stand

Arcanine was extremely fast, but Sapphron was much faster. From the moment Tabitha glanced over his shoulder, he had to know running was pointless.

So, to Sera's horror, he banked hard right.

Sapphron stopped to flinch as they watched Arcanine bounce right off the boundary line, landing in a heap and throwing Tabitha in the process. Both struggled to their feet, but it quickly became clear that Tabitha was having a much easier time of that than Arcanine. As such, the trainer recalled his Pokemon and dived into the treeline himself, easily passing through.

"What the hell…" muttered Sera. _...Sapphron. Before, Steven's Metang used psychic energy to block my Nav's signal. Do you think you could do that?_ she asked.

Sapphron tried it. _Is that working?_

Sera checked her Nav to find it malfunctioning as before. "The energy is, and the Nav's not. Good. Now go see what's up with the boundary there."

Cautiously, Sapphron approached and reached out… until he hit something invisible and flinchingly withdrew. Bracing himself, he tried again and held contact a little longer, wincing. _I think I could get through if I adjust my psychic aura, but it still wouldn't be pleasant._

"Right," said Sera. "Then set me down." Once on her feet, she made her way into the thick foliage. She felt no resistance. Well… this explained why the stronger Pokemon from the uncharted wilds didn't come out into the routes. Sort of… Whatever field prevented Pokemon from passing was likely the same thing that caused Navs to sound when trainers got too close.

On that note, she cringed and recalled Sapphron. Without his psychic field, her Nav began to blare for just a moment. But she released the still-Mega Latios again on her side of the boundary, and he quickly silenced it again, as well as confirmed he was fine now.

Lightning cracked across the sky, causing Sera to jump. There was something instantly terrifying about this place. The weather, the fact that she'd be mostly blind without her Nav, knowing how badly injured Morgan had been in a less dangerous part of the wilds… None of those factors were helping.

But they were all reasons she couldn't let Tabitha be out here alone, either. Hopping on Sapphron's back once again, the two of them searched until the Latios felt a human presence up ahead.

They finally found Tabitha surrounded by a small group of Gloom and Vileplume- and, thanks to Sera, without his best Pokemon. She quickly released Flash to deal with them instead, relieved to find that even the sight of him Blaze Kicking one was enough to scare a few of the others off. Sera imagined they didn't see fire very often.

"Are you all right?!" she asked, as Sapphron landed and Flash picked off the stragglers.

"What the _hell_ are you _doing_ here?" Tabitha spat.

"Coming after _you_," Sera bit back. "What are _you_ doing?"

"I'm not going to let you stop me. I _have_ to get back to the base before Leader Maxie leaves." As he turned and tried to run again, Sera pursued and caught him by the arm. Tabitha yanked it away. "_Sera I swear on Groudon's grave_, I don't want to hurt you _but I will._"

"Will you _listen_ for two seconds!? I'm trying to _help_ you! How can you seriously believe I wouldn't be?!"

He glared. "Where would you like the list to _start?_"

Sera winced. "L-look, I'm sorry, okay? You _know_ I have to keep up appearances, though. A-and… I can't say I would have approved of whatever you were trying to do at Southern Island, considering _someone_ never _told me_ about that plan…" He quickly averted his gaze. "But for what it's worth, it's not like I went out of my way get in Magma's way, and we stopped _Team Aqua, too._ That's gotta be worth _something_, right?"

There was a tense pause before Tabitha finally crossed his arms with and indignant "_Hmph_," then sighed. "So now what?"

_I cannot say I'm a fan of your track record, human,_ Sapphron butted in. _But I sense no deception from you now. If you truly wish to stop your leader's misguided plans, then I suggest you both climb aboard. This place does not seem safe for your kind, but it will be safer upon my back._

Tabitha shivered. "Does he always do that?"

"The telepathy?" asked Sera as she mounted the Latios again. "What about it?"

"Not a fan…" He looked up to the hand Sera offered him, and groaned under his breath as he reluctantly took it.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, they'd reached the base of the mountains that surrounded 110's desert. From here, it should be pretty simple to fly right up and o-

_Sera, incoming._

"What?" Sapphron shared with her the sense of another human in the air nearby. "Shit. Take cover." They ducked into the first cave they could find. It was fairly shallow, but fortunately seemed empty, for now.

"What are we _doing?_" Tabitha snapped.

"Someone's patrolling the skies. I'm not sure, but Sapphron thinks they remind him of-... the Champion," she finished. "If we're caught by the League, I may or may not be able to Sneasel my way out of punishment, but you'd be apprehended for sure."

He clenched his jaw. "This… is… so…" He stifled the rest of his thought with a series of incoherent sounds, but then huffed a sigh and reasoned, "I suppose this is farther than I expected to get for tonight with Arcanine injured."

Sera instinctively tried to check her Nav, but then went for her phone instead. "It's nearly midnight, too…"

"That's true, as well... So it sounds like we'd do well to make camp."

The moment he said as much, Sapphron released his Mega form and drifted to the ground. _Thank goodness,_ he murmured gratefully. _Normally I could hold my form longer, but after such a long day and while multitasking, I wasn't sure how much longer I'd last._

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't even-..." What Pokemon did she have right now? Tank, Flash, Pelt, Wings, Sapphron, and Trapinch… Hmm. She brought out Pelt, who quickly exchanged a displeased glance with Tabitha. "Please don't," Sera mumbled to both. "Pelt, sweetie. I know you've only just learned it, but do you think you could use your Extrasensory to provide the same sort of interference on my Nav that Sapphron is? Just long enough to let him get some rest."

Pelt thought it over, but gave a determined nod. He took a few minutes to study the Nav and the energy around it, then began to concentrate to add an energy field of his own. Sera could hear Sapphron guiding him a little along the way… though rather than his usual voice, she realized Sapphron was physically speaking, albeit in Pokemon tongue. Of course; as a Dark-type, Pelt wouldn't hear telepathy.

_I think you've got it_, said Sapphron. He cautiously released his own hold, allowing Pelt to take over completely. The Nav did not sound off.

"Great job, Pelt!" Sera praised. "Do you think you can hold that for a few hours?" She hoped that wasn't too much to ask, but unlike Sapphron who had also been flying and providing sentry, he was well-rested and only had the one task. Pelt confidently nodded, and Sera recalled Sapphron.

Taking a seat, Sera asked, "I… know it's really late, but are you hungry?"

Tabitha sighed. "I wouldn't object if you're offering."

Flash and Wings were sent out to quickly gather a very small amount of firewood, then- the latter to help scout and the prior to do the heavy lifting- while Sera and Tabitha set up camp. Which was mostly to say Sera set up her usual camp, given Tabitha wasn't carrying much on him, but he helped a little.

_What is the meaning of this!? _an unknown voice roared. _Intruders!? In OUR den! UNACCEPTABLE._

Sera's mouth fell agape at the owner. A… Krookodile? That was what the red ones were called, right? And two Krokorok at her side. Sera had no idea those lived in the wild in Hoenn… "E-excuse us, ma'am," she tried to reason. "My friends and I just need shelter for the night."

"What the hell are you _doing?_" Tabitha hissed to Sera. He took a defensive stance and reached for a Pokeball, but Sera put a hand out to ask him to wait. "_Why_-"

"Ssh!"

_Human filth! How dare you- such a weak, pathetic creature- approach my magnificence with such an outlandish request!_ ...Wait. There was something familiar about the way she-...

_Stand aside!_ barked Wings behind them. The crocs all turned to look down at the Swellow, but though the Krokorok stood nearly twice his size and the Krookodile easily triple- all massive examples of species that would have been taller than Wings even at average size- the bird looked as though _he_ was the one trying to Intimidate _them._ Sera knew Wings had Guts, but this was something else entirely.

Flash soon came up behind him, carrying a load of firewood. _WHAT is going-_

_SIlence!_ commanded Wings, receiving a bewildered and indignant glare from the Blaziken.

_Would you look at that,_ jeered one Krokorok, seemingly male. _Dinner AND a show._

The other Krokorok, this one female, demanded, _What makes you think a pathetic pet like you is allowed to speak to our lady in such a manner!_

_FOOLS,_ Wings spat. _Do you truly think that traveling with this human makes me one of THEM? I was born in these wilds, same as you- a TRUE Pokemon! Do NOT group me among the inferior human-cultivated scum._

_Excuse you?_ Flash asked. Pelt similarly joined in with a 'what the fuck' gesture, though Wings may not have been able to see it from outside.

But Sera requested, "Just… let him speak." The crocs had not retaliated yet, and if they would listen, she wanted to as well. Was Wings really from outside the boundaries? Was… _that_ why he'd been twice as strong as any other Taillow on Route 116?

_...You intrigue me, Swellow,_ said the Krookodile. _You speak like one of us, but if that is true, how did you come to travel with these… Outsiders._

Wings puffed his chest more than Sera thought possible, and spread his wings wide as they'd go. _Do not be fooled by my choice in company, for they have proven useful allies in my journey to serve the Great One._

Oh shit? Sera always assumed that was some… weird affectation for referring to her, or something? In retrospect that was probably very arrogant of her… But who or… _what_ did he _mean_, then?

As the crocs began to shy back, Wings continued. _Yes, peasants. __**I**_ _am one of his Chosen Ones, a harbinger for his will. I have heard his voice, and seen his mark. To serve him, he allowed me to escape our confinement, and foretold great things of me. I have tasted the cold embrace of __**death itself**__, and even that has not stopped me in my quest._ The crocs were shaking, now, and Wings settled back into a calm demeanor. In a firm but even tone, he said, _My Words Ring True._

Immediately, all three bowed. _Forgive us, O Harbinger,_ the Krookodile implored. _My mates and I are, of course, happy to allow you use of our home for the night. If there is anything more we can do to aide you, please only let us know._

"...Yyyou could keep watch outside and discourage any other humans from coming here?" Sera suggested.

The crocs looked to her, then to Wings, who nodded. _That seems suitable. I shall entrust you to see to it that no others, regardless of species, make the mistake of disturbing my comrades._

They headed outside then, and Wings and Flash came inside. _Care to tell us what that was about?_ Flash asked.

_It is irrelevant to you. You are serving your purpose,_ Wings answered simply.

Sera was far too tired to press the matter for tonight. "I'd really like an explanation later," she mumbled, but left it at that as she recalled Wings.

"I'll say. What the hell just happened?" Tabitha asked. ...Right. From his point of view, her Swellow just came and started wildly squawking at some giant reptiles who cowered to his whim.

"I… guess Wings is pretty persuasive," she feigned weakly.

He raised a brow at her, but then looked to Pelt, then Flash. "Gods, you have some weird Pokemon."

Sera laughed nervously. "Yeah… I guess so…"

Flash helped get the fire started, and Tabitha released his Arcanine to stretch and relax, as well as to lie in front of the cave entrance and help reduce the amount of light that escaped without completely blocking it off. Sera brought out more supplies than really should have fit in her backpack and set up a small pot of soup to simmer over the fire.

The awkward silence made the wait feel longer than it really was.

"Ssso… Where exactly _is_ Magma's HQ, anyway? You've never said."

Tabitha rested his elbow on his knee and his face against his hand. "There's a reason for that, you know." Sera cringed, and he sighed. "Though I suppose I owe you. Getting ahold of those records was not as painless as planned, but it may be a good thing events played out as they did…"

"Mm.." She looked away. "Do… do you think he knows?"

Tabitha shook his head. "He… he couldn't. He _mustn't._ There _has_ to be something missing, or else…" His hand moved to cover more of his face. "He can't _really_ want… _this…_"

Sera bit her lip. "...W-well… you're his right hand, aren't you? I'm sure he'll listen to you."

Tabitha didn't look so certain. "... Sera. In case he doesn't… It's beneath Mt. Chimney. The base… as well as Groudon."

"What? Really?" Well, then again, where did she really _expect_ Team Magma's base to be? Next door to the fucking ocean? "I guess that makes sense, but I can't believe it was right under our noses and we didn't…"

"Mm," replied Tabitha. "The entrance is easy to miss if you don't know it's there. … But please... don't interfere unless you absolutely _have_ to." Sera slowly nodded. "If Maxie can still be reasoned with… It's Groudon's Primal state we need to be worried about. If we could find a way to awaken Groudon without the Orb… M-m-maybe we could still…"

"I understand…" But if Tabitha did fail, would Sera be able to respond in time? Was it worth the risk? "Should… I just come with you?"

Tabitha seemed to give it some thought, but shook his head. "No. I think you should head to Mt. Pyre. If I'm…" The possibility seemed to pain him to admit, but he went on. "If I'm too late to catch him, or f-fail to convince him... he'll be heading there. The bad news is we're very close to figuring out how to break the seal on the summit." Seal? … Was it anything like the field that surrounded the boundary line? Hm… "The good news is he and Courtney will be traveling on foot if they go, so hopefully you have time."

Right, Entei was reserved for emergencies, wasn't she? Sera wondered if she should ask again about the beast, but she didn't imagine the answer would differ much from last time...

"If you can beat him there… Maybe you could take the Orbs before he'd have the chance? Though I suppose probably not…" A few moments passed. "Heh. But hell, who knows? Maybe someone like you _could_ reach the summit..."

Sera blinked. "Someone like me?"

"Isn't that how old-timey magic shit usually works? Only the 'pure of heart' may enter, or something equally ridiculous?" The eyeroll that followed felt equal parts condescending and affectionate, and Sera found herself laughing softly.

"Right, I sometimes forget you're a _nerd_ under all that ego," she teased.

"Excuse you? You _dare_ to insinuate that I, Tabitha, have too large an ego? The very notion is… unforgivable!"

Sera was 90%... maybe 80% sure he was playing that up on purpose, but the 10-20% doubt just made it even more amusing. "Exhibit A," she teased. "Though I'm afraid if it actually _was_ 'magic' involved, that's more Morgan's thing than mine, allegedly."

"Insulting me and not even coming through? The _nerve._"

"My _sincerest_ apologies," she feigned.

Oh, hey, the food was probably done. Sera grabbed a few bowls from her bag, dipping out servings for the two of them and all three present Pokemon. "Here you go, sweetie," she told Pelt as she took him his. "Would you like some, too?"

The Arcanine cocked his head and mumbled, _What a strange human. Why ask me instead of him?_

He seemed surprised when she quietly answered, "Because you're the one I'm offering it to, silly." He stared at her for a few moments, but gratefully accepted the food, then; and Sera moved back to sit with Flash and Tabitha. "... Heh. Sorry it's not as nice as our last meal together."

At first, Tabitha just shrugged and kept eating, but a few moments later he suddenly looked up and smirked. "Wait. So what you're saying is we only get to do nice things on _my_ dollar?"

"W-what? No, I-" _Joke._ Right. Once she managed to calm that momentary panic, Sera flashed him a grin. "I mean, if you'd like, I _could _make it up to you later. I hear there's a surprisingly high-end sushi place in the Mauville Food Court~"

"Ahyahya.. Careful, that's sounding dangerously close to asking me out. Not that I could blame you."

Sera shrugged emphatically. "I mean I'm just returning the favor. Unless..." She put on a hurt expression. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed to be seen with me!"

Tabitha rolled his eyes. "_Yes. I'm_ the one worried about that." Sera wore a wide if sheepish smile even as she winced. Glancing around, Tabitha added, "I guess you _would_ pick somewhere super crowded, though. Do you _ever_ eat alone?"

Sera blinked. "... Not if I can help it, no?"

Tabitha waited a bit longer to respond, but then, "Really? Hyuh. I guess I expected a witty retort."

"Oh. Eheh.. Sorry I guess? But no, I mean… Why should I? I have so many friends, and I don't like being alone."

Tabitha shrugged as he went back to eating. "Yeah, I guess that's fair."

Flash finished his food before making a comment, and Sera chuckled before reiterating for Tabitha's sake. "That's true. Strictly-alone is awful to me, but alone-_together_ is another issue..~"

_Would you like to be?_ Flash asked. Given the rigid, borderline draconic structure of his face, Sera wasn't really sure how he managed to quirk a brow, but boy he sure did manage it.

"Be what?" Oh hey she was… doing the thing. Should she stop that or did it matter if Tabitha knew? When did she start caring if anyone knew? Flash glanced between her and Tabitha. "... I-..."

Flash stretched and feigned a yawn. _I think I'll get some rest. Have a nice night~_ He moved over to her bag, then, and flashed her a quick smile before returning himself to his Pokeball.

"What was that about?" asked Tabitha.

Sera hoped the sound that escaped her didn't sound too nervous or awkward, but she couldn't really imagine what _else_ it would have sounded like… "Iiii… guess he just wanted to get more comfortable," she lied. ..Then yawned herself, because apparently even fake yawns were contagious, dammit. That or it was just really late and she'd been halfway across Hoenn and back today, but it was probably a little of both.

"Mm. We should probably turn in soon ourselves… Tomorrow's going to be…..."

Sera watched him stare intently at what was left of their campfire, and she frowned. "Hey… Don't worry about Maxie for tonight. You said yourself, there should still be time before everything's in place. That means there's time to stop it, and stressing now won't help."

Tabitha sighed. "I guess." All the same he grabbed a stray stick in one gloved hand and started poking at the more smouldering parts of the fire. Such a grave expression didn't suit him...

Inviting the potential subject change, Sera broke down and asked, "Okay, I'm sorry, but _how_ are you not sweating in all that?"

Tabitha shrugged. "Used to it, I guess."

No shit. Had Sera ever seen him without long sleeves? "...Well, hey~" She did want to keep his mind off the potentially impending apocalypse, and flirtatious teasing had been working before, right? … She.. _may_ have also just welcomed the excuse. "_Speaking_ of getting more _comfortable…~_"

Tabitha rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Awww, no need to be shy~"

"Then why don't _you_," he said dryly.

That… was _probably _a joke about the fact that Sera didn't have much _to_ take off, but the joke was on him. Sera's sleeveless, low-cut crop top honestly didn't cover _much_ more than the sports bra under it, but it wasn't about how much skin was showing; it was about the principle. So she readily unclasped her cloak and let it fall behind her before pulling off her shirt and smirking. "Does this mean it's your turn?"

That Tabitha wound up staring didn't surprise her, but that his stare seemed more bewildered than enticed- and that his eyes seemed to linger on her face more than her chest- certainly did. She'd have been equally happy with him agreeing or just getting flustered, but she hadn't expected this... The stunned silence was just starting to make her uncomfortable when he started laughing. "Wow…"

"W-...wow what?" Did… she do something wrong?

"You're _really_ dedicated to this joke, aren't you?"

"Iiiii…" Her face heated.

He shook his head. "Just for curiosity's sake, here.. Exactly how far would you have dragged it out if I didn't catch on?"

"I…" Sera averted her gaze. "Hadn't really… planned that far…"

"Humor me," he implored dryly. "What do you think it would have been?"

She fidgeted a bit, her face growing brighter. "I.. don't, uh… If… you want me to be completely honest…" Her voice was getting weaker. "Probably… you telling me to stop?"

His smile fell away. "...I think I misheard you." When she didn't say anything else, he asked, "..And if I didn't?" Sera forced a weak, almost pained smile at him and half-shrugged. … "Ahya? You're… serious, aren't you."

"I, just…" Her voice was little more than a squeak, and she paused to take a breath and ground herself before continuing. "I don't… tend to think of it as being a big deal, and..." At least until other people tried to make it one, ugh… "And, I mean… I.. _do_, actually, sort of, like you… s-so… Yeah, if… you'd _wanted_ to..."

His laugh now wasn't quite disbelieving, but carried much of the same vibe, and he covered his face. "_Wow_…"

Regret levels… rising… "I-I mean. I'm, not, _asking_, or anything, either. If you _don't_, I mean…" She pulled her hair in front of her face and whimpered. "You don't have to laugh…"

But he continued to do so. "No, you don't-... It's not _you_ that's so damn ridiculous. Gods… I mean. It _is_ you, _too_, but this. Entire situation… Un-fucking-believable."

"_What's_ unbelievable?" Sera half-snapped, half pouted.

"_Where do I start?_ I'm on my way to turn against the person to whom I've devoted nearly half my life. Who may or may not be actively planning to trigger an apocalypse. Camping out in the uncharted wilds, without orders and without my team. Having ridden here on a Latios. Which is owned by Professor Birch's annoying, self-righteous brat. Who has apparently started growing on me, despite her standing against Team Magma's goals- _my_ goals- on multiple occasions. And now, in the midst of all this, an obnoxiously cute girl is trying to get me out of my clothes." Sera glanced up to see him shaking his head, still smiling. "Do you see where maybe this has crossed the line from stupid to just hilarious?"

Sera's blush brightened. "... Y-yeah, I… guess so. ...Heh…"

"Just… The number of things happening all at once that I didn't imagine _ever_ would. It's… _Inconceivable._ If I _didn't_ laugh..."

Sera's brain was still racing to process everything. How often did people come out here? Was it strictly out of necessity or was this land more potentially habitable than Devon made it out to be? Did he really still find her that annoying? He... thought she was cute? … "Wait. Are uh…" Surely she was just… misinterpreting him, but she really should be sure. "Are you saying, you've... never slept with a girl?"

"Are _you_ saying you're _surprised?_" He cocked an eyebrow. "Of course, between my _rugged, sculpted _body, my _incredibly_ doting personality, and having _so_ much free time, I'm sure it's hard to imagine."

Sera _wanted_ to appreciate the self-deprecating humor, or maybe argue that she honestly found him adorable, but she was far too preoccupied by, "Gods… I didn't- I am… so sorry if that came off as uh. Any sort of. Pressure, or uh, taunting? O-or…"

No, wait, _why_ did he look _even more_ amused, this was not- "Ahya. You know I didn't say I'm a virgin, right?"

… "_Shit…_" Sera covered her face and muffled a small scream. When she came out of hiding, she avoided his gaze, standing and turning way. "I just- Nope. I need to go to bed before I stick my foot any farther in my mouth tonight, I-"

Tabitha, having trouble breathing from laughing at this point, moved to grab her wrist to stop her. "_Sera, relax_," he managed to say. "I'm _bi_."

"...Oh." Though still deeply embarrassed, she let him guide her as she sat back down, and realized she'd ended up right next to him. "Do you uh… _prefer_ guys, though?"

He shrugged. "Not really? I don't know if that's just coincidence or if I'm close enough to a bear to draw some of that crowd. Not that I've had a _lot_ of experience even then. Work has always come first, and until recently I had two full-time jobs. Usually tending to Magma's interpersonal affairs constitutes my social life."

"Does that get lonely?"

He blinked. "Not really. I thrive in that sort of environment." He gave a confident grin. "You're looking at the next Chief Admin of Team Magma, you know!"

Sera laughed weakly. "Is there any difference between that and a regular Admin?" The indignant look Tabitha gave her in response got a stronger laugh out of her. "I'm uh… still… really sorry that this got so… awkward, I guess…"

"Well, don't be." He wrapped an arm around her in a vague approximation of a hug. "You know, you're pretty ridiculous…" He looked away and shrugged as he faux-grudgingly admitted, "But I _suppose_ you're actually not so bad, for such an annoying kid."

Sera laughed softly. "Well.. _You're_ not so bad for such an elitist prick."

He glanced back to her now with a challenging smirk. "And you're not so bad for a battle-loving brat."

She leaned in to meet his challenge. "You're not so bad for a stuffy science-y egghead."

"You're not so bad for an airhead who uses the word 'science-y'."

"You're not so bad for a textbook villain."

He wrapped his other arm around her waist. "You're not so bad for someone who sucks at comebacks."

She wrapped both her arms around his neck. "You're not so bad for-..." … Shit. "I… I swear I didn't run out on purpose."

"Ahyahya! Called it." That or implanting the idea that she would caused her to feel suddenly on the spot and blank, but, you know, whatever…

"Ass…" She rolled her eyes affectionately. "Sssooo. Hey." She grinned mischievously. "Have you ever _kissed_ a girl before?"

… "Hyeh. Once, actually," he answered. "There's sort of a story to that…"

"...Oh?" Sera hoped she hadn't touched a sore spot, but she didn't have to worry about it long.

"But I do hope this story will play out better." He leaned in and kissed her softly, and when he started to pull away, Sera moved to straddle his lap and kissed him more deeply. He readily accepted the shift, wrapping his arms tighter around her. She ran her hands through his hair, her body pressing against his. Tabitha broke the kiss again, this time to lean down and gently bite her neck, getting a small moan out of her.

She would have considered doing the same, eventually, but it seemed there was a small problem with that plan. Breath hot on his ear, she murmured, "We've _really_ gotta do something about that turtleneck…"

"Heh… I would say we need to do something about our audience, first."

Sera gave a small whine and pouted, but agreed. So she momentarily brought out Tank to extinguish what was left of the fire before recalling him again, while Tabitha briefly checked on Arcanine's injuries and recalled him. Pelt _had_ to stay, but Sera had set up her tent at least- as much to avoid sleeping on the ground directly as out of pure habit- so unless they preferred a blaring alarm or to swap him out for a telepath, that was about the best that could be done about that. For what it was worth, the Extrasensory aura provided a dim ambient light that was hardly unpleasant.

"So…" purred Sera, finally turning her attention back to Tabitha. "Where were we?" She leaned in to kiss him again, and as she pulled him into the tent, she started to unbutton his vest. ...Coat? Was it a sleeveless coat or a hooded vest. Both seemed dumb now that she thought about it. Who came up with this uniform, and how did something so impractical manage to look good on everyone?

"Oh hey, I… should probably mention," he said suddenly.

"Hm?" That was rarely a good thing to hear at this point. Sera was hesitant to ask, but did anyway: "What is it?"

"I have a lot of really noticeable scars and also a robotic arm."

"... What."

"I know it's not much difference at this point, but I thought it would be better to say something before you noticed for yourself." The low light made it hard to read his expression exactly, but Sera thought she detected some concern. "Unless you'd have a problem with that?"

"... Well. Actually, now I'm kind of torn," she admitted.

"What? Are you serious?"

It took every ounce of willpower to keep a straight face as she answered, "I mean, yeah. Because, see, now I'm really curious, and I _do_ want explanations…" She finally cracked a grin and pulled his coat-vest the rest of the way off. Voice lower, she finished, "But I can think of _so_ many better uses for your mouth."

The wave of relief that washed over him was so heavy that even _she_ felt it. "Is that so… In that case, I'll have to do my best to oblige."

* * *

As the thought of their respective missions suddenly jolted through her mind, Sera shifted immediately from a dead sleep to jumbled consciousness, terrified she'd overslept.

When she felt a pair of warm arms wrapped around her, her panic subsided, and she considered maybe just lying here and enjoying it a little-... These arms and the body against her back were all too thin, and a lot warmer than- "Flash?"

_Morning, beautiful,_ he greeted.

What the hell? She… didn't dream last night, did she? ...Ha. Oh, wait. "D'you decide to come out after Tabitha left?"

_Heh. Actually, he released me._

"Really?"

_I like this one_, Flash said. _He didn't want you to get cold._

"Oh.." Okay that was… cuter than expected. She'd definitely woken up to worse, and it wasn't like she could honestly blame him for running off, probably at the crack of dawn. It didn't mean on a personal level she couldn't still be a bit disappointed she didn't get to say goodbye, but she did under-

"You're still here?" Sure enough, as she opened the tent, she saw him sitting there, making breakfast.

"Yeah? Did you think I'd leave half dressed?" … Oh. There was his coat and sweater, huh. She hadn't even noticed those. … Well, _obviously_ she wasn't going to let this opportunity to finally wear some Magma horns slip by. As she left the tent, she asked the time, and he answered, "Probably five or six, now…"

Earlier than she thought. Glancing outside the cave entrance, she could see now that it looked only just after dawn. She also caught a glimpse of one of the Krokorok standing guard, while the other snoozed atop the Krookodile. Heh.

As she came back inside, she asked, "Did… you not sleep?"

He shrugged. "More than I expected to, really." She nodded. "Arcanine's the one who really needed rest, though. As long as he's good to go, I'm used to running on nothing but determination for days." He wore his braggart's smile as he said that at first, but it weakened greatly as he thought to add, "Probably something I picked up from Maxie…"

The way he said that made Sera ache for him. "He… means a lot to you, doesn't he."

Tabitha grew quiet for almost a minute, and Sera wasn't quite sure what to do, but just sat patiently until at last he spoke. "Do you remember Sea Mauville?"

"Hm? O-only a little, I'm afraid. I was something like 6 or 7 when it closed down, so I remember hearing a lot about it for a while, and I know it was a big deal, but not… really any details, no."

"Mm… It was a facility where we gathered Infinity Energy- the source that's made every major advancement in the past two decades possible," he explained. That much Sera more or less knew, but she appreciated the pretext.

"It's no accident that I oversee all Team Magma's research departments, or that I was the one who worked for Devon. I've always been superbly gifted in scientific studies. They called me a child genius. And when I was 14, I got an internship at Sea Mauville. At the time, it seemed like a dream come true…" Why did Sera get the feeling that it became a nightmare?

"You can't imagine the politics that went on there. Workers were encouraged to never ask questions, never complain. 'Rule Number Nine: Don't expect time off before you retire. Rule Number Ten: No need to think. Just work unceasingly.' Needless to say, some of the superior officers _did_ think, regardless."

"I'd hope _so_," Sera commented. "That sounds awful."

"Hyeh, that's barely the surface. But while nearly everyone agreed that something needed to change, opinions on exactly what that was varied greatly.

"Eventually, one side got tired of waiting. New Mauville had already been cancelled, and it looked like Sea Mauville might not last much longer, but they weren't taking any chances. I was barely 15 when they blew up about a third of the facility." Sera followed his gaze to the scars that littered much of his torso. "If any credit can be given to the bastards, it was that they waited until the slowest hour of the night, when the fewest people would be at risk. But… This isn't a good measure of damage; it's just what's still visible after all these years. And some workers didn't get out as lucky as I did...

"I still have trouble believing _I_ made it out so lucky. My right arm was crushed, and I was pinned. But I guess Arceus was merciful, because Maxie found me. At the cost of my arm, he pulled me out of the flames. And, eventually, he helped me get a new one. So…" He lifted the limb in question, flexing his fingers for emphasis. The entire arm roughly matched his complexion, and at a glance from a distance could probably be mistaken for natural. But up close it was pretty obvious, both in appearance and the way it moved, to a point that being a little more realistic would have dipped it straight into the Uncanny Valley.

"Maxie didn't _just_ save me. He gave me a new life, on numerous levels. And I've spent my entire life since proudly serving as his… right hand, if you'll pardon the pun." Sera wanted to laugh, but the air felt too heavy.

"They make more realistic stuff, now, you know… Robotics so humanoid you'd never notice if you didn't know to look for it. Hell, you've probably seen some already without realizing it. But I've… never wanted anything like that. As much as I don't want people questioning it all the time, I've always wanted to be able to look at myself and be reminded of why I keep fighting. Of just how badly some people want to halt progress, and how much harder I need to fight to make sure it's achieved. But…"

He sighed and slumped forward, and Sera moved behind him to rub his shoulders. "I understand, or as best as I can, I think… It's gotta be hard to stand against someone you've stood by for so long. But…"

He tried to force a smile, but it came out contagiously painful. "If that was all it was…" He rested his face against one hand. "I am well aware that it's absurd to think that even someone such as I stands a chance of catching Maxie's eye in anything but the most professional setting, yet I... keep finding that factoring into my concerns."

"Oh…" Sera draped herself across his back and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry, sweetie. But you're doing the right thing."

"I hope so," he sighed.

She kissed his cheek. "I believe in you."

"Hyeh…"

"Is… there something else?"

"Mmm… Just… a related concern that's been on my mind this morning." He hesitated a few moments, but soon abandoned his reservations. "As you likely recall, I mentioned last night a story about a girl."

"Oh? Yeah?" Sera moved to sit beside him now and listened attentively. She wasn't really sure how this would be related, but she was happy to know more about him whatever the case.

"I had a crush on her for a while, but I was always too professional to talk to her unless it was strictly business."

"Do you mean too shy?" Sera teased lightly.

"I didn't ask for your judgment." But she caught a small hint of a smile. "She certainly wasn't, though. She was bold and brilliant, and I have to admit that for a time, I was rather thoroughly smitten.

"Then came Devon's annual holiday party. There was mistletoe and entirely too much alcohol involved on both sides. I would have been fine with leaving it at that, honestly. But the next day, to my surprise, she apologized to me, and we started talking. My romantic interest soon waned in favor of our rapidly developing friendship. I didn't want anything from her anymore. I just enjoyed her company, and seeing her happy. I made a point to share whatever I had with her on a regular basis, be it food, or intel, or just what little time I could spare."

He gave a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "And _then_, I bumped into her at Meteor Falls, wearing an Aqua Admin uniform."

"Oh." She reached over to- wait, was this his left? okay good- squeeze his hand. "I don't know what to say, but that sucks..."

"That's a bit of an understatement," he lightly snapped. "But I find myself wondering now… If we've been working so hard to awaken Groudon, does it not seem likely that Team Aqua has similar designs on Kyogre? It, too, is a super-ancient Pokemon capable of Primal Reversion, and just as potentially destructive as Groudon. Of course, I don't want to believe that Team Aqua has any chance of achieving their goals before ours, but… just in case…"

"I _see_…" Sera bit her lip. If he was right, they were in double jeopardy, and not the kind that came with extra prizes. No matter which side won their apparent race, humans and Pokemon alike could be at risk of extinction. Arceus forbid they _both_ succeeded, though if there was _any_ silver lining to this, it was that that particular possibility seemed very unlikely. "Well then… If you think she can make a difference, you know you have to tell her, right?"

This sound was more of a whining growl as he crossed his arms. "But… I. Don't.. Want... To…."

"... You don't really _have_ to want to."

Huffing a sigh, he replied, "I know." Grudgingly, he pulled out his phone and began dialing a number. As soon as it started to ring, he hung up.

"... You're going to tell me you guys have some kind of 'ring once, wait, and call back' system for emergencies or something, right?"

"... N-no, I just… _really really_ don't want to." Sera glared, and Tabitha rolled his eyes. "I'm going, sheesh." He dialed again, and this time waited until she picked up.

Sera could hear her: "Sorry, I really need to clean up my contacts. Which 'Dumbass' was this, again?"

He bit his tongue to keep from retaliating, saying instead, "S-shell, it's… Tabby. Please don't hang up."

There was a long pause accompanied by some shuffling sounds. Then it went quiet. Sera was already trying to figure out how to convince him to try again when she finally asked, tone hushed and more serious, "Wha'd'you need?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "There's something you really need to look into..."

* * *

Once they were talking, Sera quickly ate and started packing up camp, as well as swapped Pelt back out for a well-rested Sapphron.

It occurred to her that she _really_ hoped their interference with her Nav was actually blocking all signals and not just keeping it quiet. She had to assume it was, based both on the visual evidence and on the fact she hadn't been tracked down during the night, but paranoia was rarely quieted by reason alone. And she could just imagine the backlash from both literally and figuratively sleeping with the enemy, ha…

Though she supposed a more realistic fear was getting to the point she could no longer pretend he _was_ an enemy… Hopefully, though, there wouldn't be a need for much longer. Either Team Magma would transition into a more by-the-book organization, or it would disband, or Sera would finish her challenge and have an easier time associating with whomever she pleased without constant media attention, or...

Well, she wouldn't consider other possibilities right now.

As she finished putting her tent away, Tabitha approached. "I'm gonna need that back, you know."

"Need what?" ...She never got properly dressed, did she. "Oh wow," Sera awed. "This is a _lot_ more cool and comfortable than I imagined."

"Really." It wasn't a question. "I would never have guessed. I, Tabitha, who explicitly designed the fabric to both be fashionable and provide protection while avoiding overheating, had no idea that Team Magma's uniforms are objectively some of the best clothes available anywhere."

Sera barely stifled her laugh. "I mean when you put it _that_ way, I might _not_ give it back." Tabitha crossed his arms and leered, and Sera stuck out her tongue. "Maybe if you promise to get me one of my own, some time…"

He seemed legitimately surprised by that. "I'll… see what I can do."

She returned his coat at last, and both finished getting dressed and getting everything in order to leave. He released Arcanine, and she confirmed Sapphron was ready.

"I guess this is it, then… Good luck. You know, with Maxie."

He nodded. "You too, should you need it."

Sera put on a smirk and shrugged. "I dunno, I _am_ pretty great… But I _suppose_ accepting extra luck couldn't _hurt…_"

He rolled his eyes. "Ass."

She moved closer and teased, "You know you like it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, of course I do."

She loudly squeaked as he grabbed her ass, and she really wondered why she didn't see that coming. With a soft laugh, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned up to kiss him. That dragged on a little longer than she meant it to, and when it finally broke, she murmured, "H-hey… Tabitha?"

"Hyum…?"

"I realize we probably won't see each other for a while, with everything that's happening, but… I really do want to see you again."

She half-expected an arrogant retort about who _wouldn't_ want to see him again, but instead she got a calm, "I'm sure you will."

"Heh. W-what I mean, though, is…" There were probably people worse at this sort of thing than her, but Sera really didn't know of any. Finally, she opted to just smile and say, "I still intend to take you out for sushi, so you'd better be planning for that."

"I-I uh…" He started to pull away, to her dismay. "I can… see if I can find time…" he mumbled.

Sera's face lit once more. "You know, my schedule is pretty flexible and I'm _very_ patient. There's no rush."

He smiled and relaxed again at that. "Good to know."

As he climbed up on Arcanine and she on Sapphron, another thought occurred. "Mmmaybe…" He looked to her questioningly. "If everything goes _really_ well, maybe you and Maxie and I could have dinner some time?"

That suggestion earned the most genuine smile she'd seen from him yet. "That sounds like a date."


	24. Fight or Flight

They did say the Latis could carry them anywhere they'd previously been, didn't they? They probably didn't expect Morgan to use that privilege _immediately, _and probably expected it to be more for emergencies, but… Berries.

A trip to the plant nursery south of Rustboro, and stopping along the way in both directions any place she remembered or could spy from the air that some berry trees were growing, and by the time she made it back to the Berry Master's farm, she had an impressive variety. The elderly couple who owned the land were kind enough to provide her with some rarer specimens, as well.

By the time she'd gotten them all planted and headed back to 119, it was already evening. But the Kecleon she'd quickly bumped into returned a very cute Pokemon- an Eevee- from Wonder Trade. And since Morgan was quite determined not to lose another impossibly cute Normal-type quadruped to being underprepared, she immediately jumped over to Mauville to swap it into her party and begin training.

Now, as she finally headed up 119 proper, she sat atop Mithril's head as xe floated at a leisurely pace, Eevee in her lap and Andraste at their side.

_Are you sure it's all right to ride xir like that?_ Andraste asked.

_I don't see why not. It's not much faster than walking._ Or wouldn't be under normal circumstances. With the rougher terrain here, she might be saving herself a little time, but her Nav wasn't scolding her yet.

Mithril assured them both that everything was fine. Xe would see to everything.

Morgan agreed. Without having to worry about the terrain or where she was going, she could dedicate more time and energy to trying to develop her psychic connection to Mithril. Not that she wasn't still watching their surroundings, as well, but there was a difference between being fully engaged and merely alert.

Ahead, she could see a building she could only guess was the Hoenn Weather Institute. Sera had mentioned it in passing, and Morgan got the impression she'd wanted to visit it, but that seemed like sort of an underwhelming field trip option. Unless a storm broke out, it wasn't like there was likely to be much of interest at-

Or she could be wrong? Her eyes were drawn to a gaping hole in the second story wall, which seemed to have been left in the midst of repair to be resumed later. What could have happened there? Weird.

She wasn't really curious enough to stop, though… until, just as she was passing, a familiar face appeared in the front doorway, on her way out. "Shelly?"

The Admin held her head and mumbled to herself, seeming pretty out of it. Belatedly, she realized someone had said her name and looked up. "What?" As she saw Morgan, she took a step back. "Oh. You're that kid… but your arsenal certainly has gotten a boost, hasn't it," she remarked dryly.

"Also, xe can Mega Evolve," Morgan replied flatly.

"Of course it can." She huffed a frustrated sigh. "Well, fortunately for me, I don't need to deal with that right now. I was here on extremely legitimate business, and that's done now, so if you'll kindly stand aside so I can be on my way…"

"... Uh-huh. No kidnappings, no thieving, no…" Morgan looked up to the hole.

Shelly leered but averted her gaze. "That actually _was_ there when I got here…" When Morgan didn't look convinced, she grew impatient. "Okay, _look._ One second." She headed back inside, and returned with a young man in a lab coat. "Can you _please_ inform this _trainer_ that I'm not causing you any trouble, dear?"

"T-trouble?" He blinked. "Not at all! This woman gra-"

"Young woman," Shelly mumbled.

"...This… _young_ woman… graciously offered to help bring to justice the vicious Magma scoundrels who attacked us!"

"Riiight," said Morgan. Shelly thanked and dismissed the still-somewhat-confused scientist, before Morgan went on, "You know you're still wanted criminals whether you're doing anything _right now_ or not, right? I'm sure if the League has anyone to spare they're already on their way, having seen you on the Nav already."

Shelly's eyes narrowed as they flashed to the device. "Shit." She grit her teeth, then took a deep breath as her eyes began to glow.

"I wouldn't," warned Morgan, recognizing the gesture. "Andraste over here is faster than a Suicune. And I can't just let you walk away."

The glow faded, and Shelly moved back warily until she found herself pressed against the wall of the building. "I'm not going down without a fight." There was a tinge of a growl to her voice, but it was at the same time weak. An honest threat, but a desperate one: one that knew itself to have little chance of success.

Morgan considered the situation thoroughly. Then, a thought was directed to Andraste, who silently conveyed then to Shelly: _Do it. Call him. Make as aggressive a display as possible._

Shelly's eyes widened. "...But-"

_Do it. Your chances are slim, but this is the best one you have._

Another moment's hesitation, then her face hardened resolutely. Her entire aura brightened in the blink of an eye. "_Boreas, to my side!_"

The Suicune was apparently not far off, for the roar that still made Morgan shudder answered her almost instantly: "KUUUUUUUUUUU."

"If I can't outrun your little dragon, then let's see how she likes playing with the North Wind incarnate!" Shelly gave an ordering point at the Latias, and Boreas seemed to question her for just half a fleeting moment before his own eyes flashed with light and he took an offensive stance, roaring again; he shot an Aurora Beam at the Latias.

_Now,_ Morgan ordered.

Andraste, panicking, only _just_ managed to dodge the attack before going invisible, stalling any follow-up attacks for the moment; and Mithril encompassed Morgan's Nav in an interference bubble.

_That was too close,_ Andraste worried.

"It had to be convincing," Morgan shrugged. She stood on Mithril, then waited for Andraste to become visible again before hopping from xir head to her back.

"... What exactly is going on," Shelly more demanded than asked.

"You got the bubble now, Andraste? … Good. Time to rest for the moment, you two." Morgan recalled Eevee and Mithril, then turned to Shelly. "Mount up. We'll want to find somewhere more private if you want any chance of getting out of here today without a League escort."

"Excuse you? Are _you_ giving _me_ ORDERS? Since when did _you_ get so bold?"

Considering they'd met only briefly before, Morgan could only guess Shelly had either been doing her homework or watched the Games in general. That or just _assumed_ Morgan was a pushover. All seemed equally likely. But she sighed and answered, "Since I started getting tired of everyone's shit_._ Now are you going to take the offer or not?"

Shelly hesitated. "...And what's to stop me from _actually_ fighting my way out of it?"

"Mithril isn't especially scared of Boreas, Andraste can probably rival him it terms of pure power, and most of your Pokemon should probably be afraid of Cerberus."

Fortunately for Shelly, she conceded then. "Fine. I know of a Secret Spot not far ahead." She climbed up on the Suicune's back.

* * *

The spot was hardly ideal: a small clearing well-concealed inside a large thicket. But it was much drier than the outside, and would be next to impossible to spot from either air or land without knowing where to look.

Once inside, with Boreas's immediate movement limited by the walls and Andraste's aide no longer needed to black out the Nav, Morgan swapped her for Cerebus, allowing the Latias to rest and removing the third wheel factor of another communicable party while also providing a bigger immediate threat should the Aqua Admin get any bright ideas.

"So what exactly are you hoping to get out of this, anyway?" Shelly asked sharply. When Morgan did not immediately answer, she smirked. "Or did you just want to get me all alone? Did you take the uncanny timing of our meeting as a sign? Maybe decide we were meant to be together?"

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Hardly." Though now that she mentioned it, the timing really _was_ uncanny. But whatever. "Look. Had I bumped into you out shopping, I wouldn't bother asking questions before taking you down. But that weather guy mentioned Magma. And if you're _both_ involved, that means it's probably something I want to know. And unfortunately for both of us, the Devon assholes who hold my leash like to take 'communicating in any non-aggressive manner' as suspicious behavior on my part. So I needed to get out from under their thumb long enough to ask: what _exactly_ were you doing there?"

Shelly cringed, crossing her arms and turning away. "I'd… rather not talk about it, honestly."

"Wrong answer."

Shelly huffed a sigh. "Research, all right? Research I probably should have done years ago. But I had such absolute faith that I didn't think there was any need…"

Morgan pressed further, and Shelly revealed to her what every reader already knows: that Kyogre's Primal form was too powerful. That although some deep ocean Pokemon may survive, everything on land and even many sea Pokemon who would get caught in the violent storms were likely to perish. That when Archie spoke of bringing the world back to its beginning, he apparently meant _the beginning. _"I always knew he blamed people for what happened, but I never thought- I _still_ don't believe he wants us all to pay with our lives."

"What happened?" Morgan repeated.

"-Ah. Our… involvement in Sea Mauville," she reluctantly admitted. "That's… a very long story."

Morgan clenched her jaw. She did want answers, but… "We'll come back to that. Are you _sure_ you read all the data correctly? And there's no chance Magma or anyone else tampered with it before you got there?"

Shelly bit her lip. "I am, and I don't think so, though I wish that were so. But my source- the one who directed me to look into this…" She sighed. "Well, how I know him isn't important. But even if he _can_ be the most insufferable piece of shit, and even though there are plenty of times I want to punch him in his smug stupid face, he's basically an obnoxious little brother. He can be The Worst, but he also knows when to be serious, and I trust him. It… took a lot for him to contact me at all, with everything happening recently... And he wouldn't lie about something like… _this…_"

"Mm," acknowledged Morgan. "So… Crazy idea here, but… Can you just _call_ Archie?" Somewhere out in the world, closer to Fortree, a pink-haired trainer suddenly got the feeling she'd forgotten to even consider something very obvious, but she could not for the life of her place what it was or in what regards, so she shrugged it off and continued on her way.

"Do you think I didn't _try that?_" Shelly snapped. "I don't know if his phone is turned off or just in a dead zone, but I couldn't reach him…"

"I see." Well, that sucked. "So what would you plan to do if I let you go?"

She shook her head. "I don't-… I don't know. I don't know what to believe anymore. What's wrong or right… I guess, I'll pray he didn't know. That he'll end all this when he learns the truth. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise?" pressed Morgan.

Shelly looked away, and Morgan thought she may be holding back tears. "I don't know…" Boreas was lying upon the ground, and Shelly sitting on him 'sidesaddle', almost using him like a bench. But now, she shifted to lie down, draping herself over his back. She idly stroked his fur. "I know I should try to talk him out of it, but…" The smile that spread across her face was weak, but very genuine. "Heh. When he sets his mind on something…"

Morgan bristled. "That _really_ doesn't sound like a good excuse to sit back and watch _an actual apocalypse_."

Shelly shook her head as best as she could without getting up. "You don't understand. I'm saying we may not have a _choice…_ If he already knows and plans to go through with it anyway, then… It's not like _I'd_ be able to get through to him."

Morgan was growing more annoyed by the minute. "If not you, then _who?_" Shelly's smile rather clearly conveyed 'nobody', and Morgan facepalmed and growled, "Oh for fuck's sake… You have to _try._ Or if you can't convince him, _make_ him. _You're_ Boreas's master, not him, right?"

"You're an awfully presumptuous little shit. Did you know that?" Shelly forced a caustic laugh as she sat up. "Let me tell you something, hon. I have spent _my entire life_ dealing with that man. We have known each other at this point for _nearly thirty years._ I _know_ when he's flexible and when his heart is set, and _nothing_ sways him if it is. And Boreas… can't hurt him. I've never held a candle to him as a trainer."

… Morgan huffed a sigh. "Okay, but this is literally life or death on a global scale."

"And if he's already come to terms with that, then pointing it out won't make any difference," Shelly said matter-of-factly.

"...Good point."

Shelly shook her head. "I just… You don't understand. It isn't that I don't _want_ to fix this. It really isn't. B-but…" She grabbed a lock of her own hair in each hand, tugging at it stressfully. "I don't… I really don't know if there's anything I _can_ do. And if... we're going to die either way, I-... I almost… want… to make sure I can at least die beside him…" Her words grew weak, mumbled through her teeth as tears finally fell. "Even now, I… I sometimes wonder if he only keeps me around f-for… Boreas…"

_Oh_ for fuck's sake, when did this become a soap opera… "Wow. Okay, no, I barely know either of you, but even I can tell Archie's not the sort of guy who'd throw away a friendship that old or value someone solely for such a self-serving reason. That sounds 100% like paranoia talking, so-"

"You _clearly_ don't understand how deeply devoted he is to his ideals. If he was willing to break his engagement in pursuit of this dream, what chance do _I_ have?" Oh? "And honestly… Why would he hesitate to break up with me when he's got Matt?" Oh..

"Uh… Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize it was that uh… Iiii'm, probably not actually very good to comment on that, sort of… stuff." Morgan rubbed the back of her neck and averted her gaze.

"Things were so instantly romantic between them, where it took _me_ over twenty _years_ to break out of the friend zone." … Morgan barely resisted commenting on the choice of wording, but things were awkward enough without starting a whole extra debate.

It seemed Cerebus was getting bored with this line of conversation, too. Boreas was lying down and close to dozing; why shouldn't he be, too? He yawned and curled up, ready to respond if Morgan called him, but kind of tuning everything else out.

Meanwhile, Shelly continued to ramble on. "I mean… As cute as they are together, I don't even mind 'sharing' him, or not _nearly_ as much as I always thought I would. But if it did- and for what little it sometimes still _does_\- what could I even do? I've known him so much longer, but relationship-wise, Matt was here _first_. And I realize I should feel lucky to have anything, but I…"

"Um…"

"I still can't help wondering if he's just taking pity on me. If he really 'loves' me the way I do him, or if I'm just a friend with several different kinds of benefits." She stroked Boreas's mane for emphasis.

"Hey Shelly?"

"And you know… what's _really_ sad is even if that's the case, I'll still take whatever I can _get. _How pathetically desperate is that?"

"_Hey._ Like not for nothing here, but my romantic track record kind of _sucks_ so I really have no idea what to say to any of this. Can we, like, talk about literally anything else?"

… Shelly suddenly barked a caustic, self-deprecating laugh. "_Wow_. Look at _me_ unloading my entire life's story on some pesky kid. Speaking of pathetic and desperate, eh?" She wiped her eyes as she started trying to compose herself. "_Gods_ this day has just _ruined_ me. I swear I'm _never_ this sappy."

Oh thank- well, the gods- a subject hook. "Speaking of gods, what _is_ with the Suicune, anyway?"

A long silence, during which Shelly stared with a suddenly blank expression. "I don't really think that's relevant to stopping Kyogre or Groudon and it's kind of a long story."

Morgan's mouth twisted. "I mean… Having tamed one god sure sounds potentially relevant to dealing with another to me, but."

"It's-... Boreas is a friend, all right? Unlike _some_ people, who use PokeBall technology and mind-altering machinery on the legendary Pokemon they know, Boreas has nothing _man-made_ affecting him."

Well, that wasn't especially helpful, but Morgan found herself desperately wishing Sera could hear it. One team in that scenario _definitely_ sounded like the lesser evil to her. "Oh, hey. Tangential thought: how did you talk him into attacking Mt. Chimney?"

Shelly blinked. "What?" It actually took her a few seconds. "Oh, you mean _before_ the summit battle? Hon, you know Magma's base is under the mountain, right?" … Well, no, but now that she _said_ it... "All we were doing was wrecking their front yard in hopes that'd slightly delay their plans at the summit and send a message." She pursed her lips and muttered, "Of course, we didn't know at the time that they still had Entei, or that Maxie would go so far to keep her so-called loyalty. So that didn't turn out as effective as planned.."

_Oh._ Now see? Morgan could almost get behind that. Still a little extreme, but a lot better than just inciting fear for fear's sake... She was starting to see more and more how Aqua's ideals overall aligned with themes of precaution and conservation, which matched Morgan's own first impression of Archie far better than other impressions of the team as criminals did. "Any chance you're willing to share what you were doing at Southern Island?"

Shelly delayed a bit before answering again, but then shrugged and answered, "You said it yourself. Latias is even faster than Suicune. When you're constantly evading authorities, it can be useful to get from Mauville to Mossdeep in less than a day."

The way she said that made Morgan slightly skeptic, but the actual content of her answer seemed very solid. Furthermore, any consideration she'd have given further questioning was quickly diverted into, "Hey, speaking of Mauville."

"Ah. Right…"

"I've been curious for months: What the hell _was _the deal with Sea Mauville, anyway?"

Shelly groaned, but then sighed. "I guess there's not much point in avoiding it… I'm not the _best_ person to ask, since I lived on the mainland, at the time. Working in Greater Mauville Holdings's R&amp;D, figuring out new applications for our 'new clean energy', etcetera. But I've heard plenty from Archie and Matt. Extremely long story short, it was a place where Infinity Energy was gathered."

"Mm? Hey yeah, Archie said something about that when I first met him. It's a lot better than traditional fuels, right?" Morgan inquired.

But Shelly winced. "In a way… It doesn't produce _pollution_, but it…"

Morgan suddenly heard a noise, and Shelly's eyes widened, but then Shelly looked sharply to her left, so Morgan followed her gaze. She saw nothing. Maybe something just moved outside?

"It's Pokemon _life_ energy, kid," Shelly went on. Well _that_ certainly got Morgan's attention again. "Extracted from living, breathing Pokemon. It's not a pleasant process, and they may or may not survive extraction. Sea Mauville used to catch and drain aquatic Pokemon in _droves_, then release the weakened survivors to fend for themselves, all to make human life more _convenient._"

Morgan found her mouth agape. "I-... But I thought… Archie said he didn't know where it came from?"

"Actually." The voice was masculine, familiar, and right behind her. Before Morgan could turn around, one set of hands pulled her bag away, while another, larger set grabbed her arms and held them behind her. "I said the fact that Devon won't _tell_ people what they're doing _pisses me off_," Archie corrected.

Cerberus belatedly realized what was happening and began scrambling to his feet, but Shelly was already on hers, and Boreas barely beat Cerberus. Archie's Sharpedo, Jetsam, was soon released to join him, and between his Ice Fang and Boreas's Aurora Beam, Morgan knew her Sceptile's type advantage would only account for so much. He knew it too, and took a defensive stance rather than provoking the potential foes.

"_Let go_," Morgan spat.

"Afraid we can't do that, scamp." In fact, Matt might have tightened his hold a bit. Digging through her bag, Archie asked, "Now which of these is Sceptile's?"

"Let me go _now._"

Archie gave her a wry look. "Hey now, no need to get all worked up. You should know we're not gonna hurt you." Someone should probably tell that to Matt. Cerebus did settle down a bit, though, looking to him questioningly. "So here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna recall your pal and set all your Pokemon on the far side of this clearing, and then we're gonna tie you up. You should be able to wriggle your way over no problem, and once you can get ahold of one it should be able to free you easily, but we'll be long gone by then. _Or_, you can fight back, and we can turn this into a three-on-one battle."

"Probably best to just cooperate," added Matt.

"...I've beaten two of you before," grumbled Morgan.

"What," said Archie, "you mean when you had help, after we fought a few dozen Magma grunts first, and while Boreas was preoccupied with Pele?" Morgan pursed her lips. He finally found Cerberus's Pokeball and recalled him, then headed over to Shelly and tossed Morgan's bag a bit farther away before embracing her, expression and tone softening. "You had us worried sick, love. You can't just drop off the map without warning like that. We must've checked at least a dozen Secret Spots, and I was starting to think..." He held her tighter.

Shelly neither returned nor rejected the gesture, having been pretty quiet and shaken since they arrived. Now, she asked, "What about you? I… tried to call."

"Augh…" He gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry about that. The spotty service this far out is both a blessing and a curse, ain't it? But I guess all's well that ends well, right?" Shelly just looked away, and Archie's smile faded. "..What happened? What's wrong?"

"I um… I found some… We should talk."

Archie waited, concerned, for her to continue, but when she didn't he just nodded. "Of course. But first, let's get out of here, eh?"

Morgan rolled her eyes, even as Matt finished tying her wrists and laid her down to start on her feet. "Oh, for- oof- for fuck's sake, if you won't come out and say it then I-"

"You'll _shut your mouth_," Shelly interrupted her.

"But it's-"

Matt's knee pressed harder into her back, forcefully silencing her. "You heard the lady," he said. "There's two folks I won't stand for disrespecting, ya hear? My bro and my metamour." Had Morgan been in less pain and at less risk of worse, she might have gone for a snarky remark about the dissonance between calling his boyfriend 'bro' but using such a proper and obscure term as 'metamour', but for now she bit her tongue.

"Easy there, babe. She's been through enough without our help." Morgan hated herself a little for getting flustered at that despite how thoroughly awful they were all being. Actually, Archie's voice might have contributed a little, now that she thought about it. That or the fact that _so many_ people in Hoenn were _so_ awful that even the slightest acts of consideration felt more notable. Probably some combination of factors.

Welp. Last-ditch effort time, she guessed. "Primal Kyo-" She was cut off by a sharp kick in the side.

"I _said_ to _shut it_," Shelly hissed.

"_Easy_," Archie repeated, softer yet more emphatically.

"This isn't your _place_. I'll-..." Her ferocity faded. "I'll do it."

"...Do what?" Archie asked. "...Did she say Primal?"

A beat, then two. "L-like I said, we just. Need to talk. But later," Shelly answered.

Archie nodded, recalling Jetsam now that Morgan was fully restrained. "Boreas should be fine to carry all three of us, right?"

Shelly looked her metamour up and down. "I dunno… Matt's been hitting the mess hall pretty hard lately."

"... My bedroom is a literal gym," retorted Matt.

"Yyyyeah, but that _beer gut_." By now, it became obvious her tone was teasing. Morgan could only _hope_ that humor was a coping mechanism and not a sign she was abandoning her conviction.

Matt chuckled as he caught on. "I mean, when it's time to party, who _wouldn't_ prefer a keg to a six pack?"

"Looks mighty fine to _me_…" said Archie in a low, pleasant growl.

As they moved closer, thoughts both oddly alluring and wildly panic-inducing crossed Morgan's mind. "S-so, hey, in spite of the bondage situation here, if you're gonna break into an orgy can I please not be part of it."

Archie fought to stifle a laugh, and Matt turned to look down at her with a mildly offended look. "Dude. You just _assume-_…? That's so uncool."

Shelly seemed to be rather pointedly ignoring this conversation as she mounted Boreas. "You guys _coming _or _what_?" Archie's laughter grew harder to suppress, and something akin to a small giggle escaped him as he continued to try to hold back the rest. Shelly facepalmed. "Not at all what I meant."

"Kind of walked into it," Morgan mumbled intentionally-conspicuously.

As Archie mounted up behind her, Shelly sighed. "Screw you."

"I think we just discussed I'd rather not."

Archie gave up his struggle and openly guffawed at that point. By the time Matt joined them on the now-crowded Suicune's back, Archie had settled enough to wipe away a tear and remark, "I swear, out of all the thorns in my side, you're by far my favorite, scamp. I hate to leave you like this, but it's just a precaution, you understand."

"Uh-huh…" Once again she considered blurting the Primal info, but with none of the trio close enough to punish her, she didn't trust Shelly not to have Boreas do the silencing this time, and taking the brunt of a demigod's attack was not a pleasant concept. Morgan resigned that she'd just have to hope either Shelly would succeed or that she could try to deal with it later. Living to fight another day, and all. Still, ugh.

"See you around, and good luck on your journey, scamp~" And off they rode.

* * *

Well _that_ took entirely too long. Morgan was never in great physical shape even at her peak, which she still was back up to; and- _shockingly_\- it turned out sailors tied ridiculously strong knots, so wriggling out was not an option either. She couldn't seem to get rolling to cooperate, and inch-worming her way to her bag was absolutely humiliating even without an audience.

Now Mithril and Cerebus accompanied her as she finally made her way out of the brush. "You two were no help at all," she muttered.

_You were not in danger_, Mithril noted. Xe was right, of course. Cooperating _had_ been the best method of escaping unharmed. But it still left Morgan fuming.

Just a few steps out of the brush, her Nav activated again. The signal would still be weak and distorted here, she knew, but at least they'd see her back on the map, alone, rather than thinking she might have run off with Team Aqua. And, hey. The fact that she looked like hell came more from wriggling through the dirt and grass and stray twigs for the past however long than from actual confrontation, but it should certainly add to her sympathy facto-

"SKRAWWWWR-o-REEEE." Morgan cringed at the sudden cry and squared her stance, but then realized it sounded familiar. A… Skarmory?

Seconds later, a bird larger than her own swooped dangerously close, but from its back lept Hoenn's Champion. "_Morgan_, thank the gods. Are you all right?" Before she could answer, he grabbed her hands and saw the raw marks from where she'd tried twisting out of the ropes.

"...Y-yeah… They sort of ambushed me." She pulled her hands back and rubbed one wrist. "I'm okay, though. All they really did was make sure I couldn't follow them…"

"And make it harder for anyone to find you," murmured Steven.

… "Ah. Yeah, right. Also that." She… _totally_ didn't willingly come to a Secret Spot, because that definitely wasn't a concept she was aware of or actively exploiting. It was almost too easy to forget that Steven had League ties.

"They're getting bolder by the day," he said, more to himself than her. "You two _have_ to stop trying to take them on by yourselves before one of you gets hurt."

"...Us two?" It took a moment to click, and Morgan rubbed a temple. "Of course… What did she do now?"

"Tried to chase a Magma Admin into the wilds. I searched all night and couldn't find either of them. Apparently she lost his trail, too, but it's a miracle she made it back in one piece." So Sera was getting braver, too, it seemed… Morgan didn't know whether to be angry or proud, honestly… "Of course, _he_ didn't seem to have a Legendary Pokemon on hand. What were you thinking?"

Morgan did hate being scolded, and imagined she'd be getting some of the same speech from Genevieve later. But the sheer amount of concern as Steven said it made her actually feel a little guilty. "To be fair, so do I…"

He sighed. "I suppose. ...Though wait. They didn't take her? Or… anything else?" Morgan shook her head. "Mm… Perhaps they realized such a Pokemon would not follow a trainer it didn't choose, or…"

Oh shit. "Hey speaking of Legendary Pokemon, though, we have bigger problems." Suddenly she realized and glanced toward her Nav, trying to make the gesture as apparent as possible to Steven and as discreet as possible to everyone else. "H-hey, should we, or, you…?"

"Hm?" When he caught on, he seemed less concerned than she'd imagined. "Right. Allow me."

* * *

It seemed Steven's Cobalt had also recently evolved, and given Steven still seemed a bit uncertain about Mithril, he and Morgan now sat atop Cobalt as they floated north, keeping Morgan on track while she explained all she'd learned, or as best as she could without admitting she'd just had a pleasant sit-down with the enemy.

She also found herself wondering if perhaps having the Champion as her personal escort- even if it was just an hour or so, so late at night now that things tended to be quiet anyway- constituted an unfair advantage of any kind, but… Honestly, fuck it. Sera'd had advantages from Day 1, and she wasn't about to complain about such pleasant company.

Especially not when he seemed to be the only person in the entire gods-forsaken region who was both willing to listen to her and capable of doing anything about any given problems. _Honestly._ If she had one shred of hope left for Hoenn, it was that Steven was apparently already working on changes within the League (she couldn't imagine having come here when they still enforced Devon's rulings in full force?) and was supposed to take over Devon someday, too.

Besides, it wasn't like the League was going to punish her, haha. ha...

"So it's come to this…" said Steven when she'd finished her tale. "What you've been able to relay about Primal Reversion aligns with my own findings in some of Hoenn's ruins and records, as well… This is far worse than we feared." He sighed heavily. "Are… you well enough to travel on your own?"

Morgan blinked. "I mean yeah, I should be. Though I should probably be stopping for the night anyway, really."

"Mm… I'll have to ask you to forgive me. I'd love to accompany you farther just to be safe, but there are a lot of things I need to look into. Wallace will need to double the guard, and I may even need to reach out to the Draconids… Dad probably knows better than to incite a riot, so I might even want to have him start preparing evacuation plans just in case… Hmmm…" He was doing the talking-to-himself thing again, words growing quieter and more mumbled until Morgan couldn't make them out anymore.

"Well, definitely do what you need to," she said finally. "Should… _I_ do anything in particular, or just…?"

He shook his head. "Mm, no. You already serve a very vital role, as I'm sure you've realized by now. I may disagree with the way my father handles these Games, but at times like this… Well, as long as people are invested in what _you're_ doing, they're that much less worried about the world around themselves. I need you to keep putting on a good show."

Something about that answer was far more offputting than she'd have ever expected. It was a perfectly rational suggestion, but… She supposed nothing required her to _like_ it… "I see." She sighed. "I guess it's not like I have much choice, eh?"

"Mm. That's far enough, Cobalt." The Metagross stopped and landed, and Steven jumped to the ground before offering Morgan a hand and helping her down.

He might have held her hand a little longer than necessary, and Morgan might have been willing to embrace that small indulgence on a better day. As it was, she averted her gaze, which fell to the Metagross, sparking a sudden thought. "Hey. You said you were Mithril's breeder, right?"

"I did," he answered.

"So are xe and Cobalt related, then? I mean I don't know how breeding works with these sorts of Pokemon, but…"

Steven smirked and hummed a pleasant note. "They are indeed. Immediate siblings, in fact. Descended from my prized Ditto and the older Metagross I reserve for League-sanctioned battles."

"Heh…" Morgan still had to force her smile just a bit, but it surprised her that she did. She honestly did appreciate it? Hm. "Well, that's really nice to know."

"I suppose…" She looked to him quizzically, and his soft expression gained the slightest sheepish quality as he averted his gaze. "It's just one of several ways we've become connected, now… don't you think?"

"... I uh…" She supposed there was the Key Stone she'd gotten from him… and the Metagrossite… Also their connections to the League but she didn't really care for that dynamic so much.

"Would… it be too forward of me to ask you to accept yet another token of my admiration?"

Morgan took a half-step backward as his blue-silver eyes shifted back to her. Her heart pounded. "I-I mean, had you not _phrased_ it like that it wouldn't have been…"

"Aha…" He rubbed the back of his head. "My apologies."

"...What is it, though?" She still had mixed feelings and all, but… free shit.

He pulled out his own Nav- visibly a very different device from her own, but serving some similar functions- and went through its menus until he found and materialized a small green stone. "Sceptilite. You'll need to be careful, as it will only make Cerberus that much more vulnerable to ice. But against other foes, he'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"Ah…" She gratefully accepted, in that case. Keeping Cerberus safer was definitely a high priority. "Thank you. We'll definitely use it wisely."

Steven nodded. "Morgan… Please, stay safe." There was a briefly tense moment, then he moved as if he might hug her, only to back out and settle for a smile instead. He recalled Cobalt, and sent out his Skarmory. "Good luck."

As he flew away, she awkwardly answered, "You too…"

* * *

Sera couldn't imagine. She _couldn't imagine_ what Morgan must have gone through after first meeting Archie. The amount of questions she kept getting, the clear suspicion in some of them, even with her impeccable record, even with her connections… Steven claimed to believe her story, as did plenty of others. Yet she kept getting questions. Most recently, it was Steven himself calling her- waking her- in the middle of the night to ask if she'd caught anything about Primal Reversion in her dealings with Magma.

Obviously, she couldn't give him the full answer, so she had to feign that the words might have sounded vaguely familiar, and that it "wouldn't surprise her" if Magma had something of the sort planned.

Ugh… If she could trust anyone to handle this without targeting all the team indiscriminately, or could share what she knew without being barred from dealing with it herself… As it was, she made a promise to Tabitha, and she intended to keep it. She had grown to care about Team Magma as a whole, and she wouldn't watch everyone she'd met and all hope of achieving their dreams in a less drastic manner be mowed down if there was still a chance they could fix this.

All she had to do was breeze through Fortree and make her way to Mt. Pyre…

Between Sapphron, her Mega Stones, and having focus trained such a small group of Pokemon, her power compared to the average wild Pokemon was far greater than it had been early in her journey, so although these routes were long, she was making excellent time on them. It was now her third day on 119, and she should pretty easily reach Fortree by nightfall. If she was especially lucky, she could even clear the gym tonight and-

"What?" she asked, incredulous, to the caller on her Nav.

"We're aware there haven't been many full training days since last time," the man said. "But it _has_ been quite some time for the viewers, and your rosters have both changed a terrifying amount in a short time. We think the timing is quite perfect."

"But-"

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Birch, but you are to wait at the Fortree Pokemon Center until Morgan arrives and conduct a rival battle before progressing farther."

Great. Just… fucking perfect.

* * *

At least Morgan was no happier about this than Sera was, and she hadn't even lost nearly an entire extra day out of the ordeal. They took to their usual routine: finding a spot at the edge of town and awaiting the countdown. _Unlike_ usual, however, they agreed to do a triple battle this time. It was ""exciting"", after all, and frankly neither wanted to be stuck here any longer than necessary.

3… 2… 1…

Morgan sent out her Sceptile, Metagross, and brand new Sylveon; Sera countered with her Anorith, Latios, and brand new Shiftry.

"AWW!" Sera exclaimed in spite of herself. "When did you get that cutie!" Morgan didn't respond, or say anything at all. "...Morgan?" Her eyes were locked firmly on the Anorith. "Morgan?"

She finally shook herself out of it. "S-sorry, I don't-... There's something about your little bug there that bothers me." She shook her head. "It's probably stupid. ...Is." She leered scrutinizingly at the Shiftry. "Is that Pelt?"

"The one and only!" Sera exclaimed proudly. "We found a Leaf Stone yesterday afternoon." Pelt seemed less pleased, and borderline sulked. Sera cringed. "We uh… may not have especially thought through the whole… going-back-to-a-lack-of-proper-hands… thing. But I'm sure he'll get used to it in no time~"

"...That's kind of fucked up," commented Morgan.

Sera really didn't need her judgment. "... Let's just battle."

Morgan quickly swapped Cerebus for a Linoone, evolved from the same Zigzagoon she'd kept largely for helping clear obstacles off and on since Rustboro. Then she Mega Evolved Mithril.

Sapphron and Pelt ganged up on Sylveon with Luster Purge and Leaf Blade, but Mithril's Pursuit on Sapphron was stronger than either, and Sylveon's Moonblast knocked Pelt clean out to give Morgan an early lead. Meanwhile, Anorith got in a decent X-Scissor against the Linoone, but it hardly made up for the loss.

Sera replaced Pelt with Wings, and Morgan swapped Sylveon for her newly evolved Crobat.

"Holy shit," remarked Sera. Morgan had _really_ been training hardcore these past few days, apparently.

Wings's Steel Wing against Crobat did almost as little damage as Linoone's Rock Smash on Anorith. What it _did_ do seemed to piss Anorith right off, though, as she promptly evolved to retaliate, and the new Armaldo's X-Scissor proved far more formidable than before, knocking out Linoone! Now that's what Sera liked to see!

Sapphron took a moment to Recover, and Mithril attempted to attack Armaldo, but only managed a glancing blow.

Morgan replaced Linoone with- "Where'd you get a Castform?" whined Sera.

"I went back to check on the Weather Institute once things settled down a bit," shrugged Morgan. "It's not like it took any time to do so. They'd probably give you one too if you asked."

...Well that made sense. Sera was going to pretend she definitely was just prioritizing her journey versus having completely forgotten to go see if everyone was all right, or anything like that…

While she was busy in a brief state of denial, Morgan went on with the battle. Mithril's Meteor Mash knocked Armaldo out, and Crobat's Cross Poison-

The dreaded Critical Hit alert sounded as Wings hit the ground. Sera would never admit the small undertone of relief mixed in with her horror. "Wings…"

Morgan just shrugged. "Sorry. Guess accidents happen." … Sera knew Cross Poison had a heightened crit ration, and she suspected Morgan knew it, too.

Luster Purge _almost_ managed to avenge the Swellow, but not quite. Nor did the pelting of Castform's Hail quite finish off the Crobat, though it certainly did annoy everyone on the field except Castform, trainers included.

Play time was over, and Tank and Flash replaced their fallen allies, Flash Mega Evolving almost instantly.

The combination of Dragonbreath and Blaze Kick left Mithril on xir last leg, and Flash managed to dodge xir counterattack entirely.

A moment later, though, the combination of Crobat's Wing Attack and Castform's Weather Ball managed to knock out Sapprhon.

Morgan was no doubt feeling pretty confident, but Sera's last attacker was far stronger than he was fast. Tank's Rock Slide managed to finish off both Mithril and Crobat simultaneously.

Sylveon and Sceptile replaced them.

When Flash saw Cerebus, he gave a competitive grin and got all the more riled… but the Sceptile just looked at him blankly for a moment before turning his attention to Tank. Flash's heart hit his stomach, but the battle had to continue.

A Blaze Kick took out Castform, and while the doubly-super-effective Mega Drain was devastating, Tank lived up to his name by once again managing to endure it at all. Sylveon's Moonblast didn't quite take Flash out either, though it came close.

In desperation, imagining Flash wouldn't last much longer anyway, Sera ordered Tank to use Earthquake- and ended up laughing in disbelief as _Flash dodged it._ Cerebus and Sylveon did not.

It was two-on-two.

Flame Charge fainted Sylveon; Mega Drain fainted Tank.

It was one-on-one. Flash versus Cerebus.

Again, Flash tried to antagonize his rival. _C'mon, Cer. Show me what you've got!_

Again, he received the flattest look in response. _Let's just finish the battle._

"Another Flame Charge should do the trick," said Sera.

But Flash clenched his jaw. _..What? Are you not even going to try?_

Cerebus rolled his eyes. _With you Mega Evolved and Speed Boosted this high? I'll save myself the disappointment,_ he sighed.

… _FIGHT ME,_ Flash demanded.

"...Guys?" questioned Sera.

"What's going on?" asked Morgan.

Cerebus just crossed his arms and waited.

At last, Flash let out a frustrated scream, and swooped in to finish him with a Blaze Kick.

"What the _hell_," hissed Morgan.

"That wasn't me!" Sera insisted. "Flash, what the hell indeed! Is he okay?"

Morgan confirmed that he was, and Sera went to check Flash, who released his Mega form now. _He… Why wouldn't he fight me? He… That look he gave me… It was like I was dead to him. Why-... Why wouldn't he…_

Sera cringed. "Ahh… Yoouu, should probably take a nice rest now…" She recalled him, hoping he'd be over the ordeal after some time to cool down. Turning to Morgan, she offered, "You've gotten surprisingly good lately. That was easily our toughest fight yet."

Morgan pursed her lips. "And yet…"

Sera forced a weak smile. "Hey, maybe next time, eh? Flash got pretty lucky there a few times, and at the rate you've been training…" She was trying to be encouraging, but as much for the camera's sake as Morgan's, honestly. The truth was, right now, Sera was pretty sure she had just a little bit more to fight for.

Losing Wings sucked, especially since she never did get around to confronting him about exactly what all that "harbinger" business was about… But even now she feared she may not want to know, and she'd already revived him once… Would beating death twice only make him that much more terrifying? Perhaps she'd hold off on finding out, and save what money she could have spent on a Revive for someone a little more vital to her current mission.

Vibrava was getting up there, and her Audino was good, too. Both would make fine replacements. So for now, she needed to pick one, heal up, and take on the Gym so she could be on her way.

* * *

Morgan fumed as she sat in the Center, long after Sera headed off for the Gym.

_Once again_, her rival had won priority to move ahead. _Once again,_ Sera humiliated her in a fight. _Once again_, no matter how many times Morgan thought she had the lead, it turned out to be meaningless in the end.

She was tired. Tired of dragging behind. Tired of being treated like nothing but a source of entertainment. Tired of no one seeing just how grueling this entire situation was, never knowing when a trusted friend might die, and _then_ having to deal with the choice of letting them stay dead or bringing them _back_ knowing they'd be… _different…_

She never had a great feeling about revival, but the evidence had become too strong for her to deny there was _something_ more to it than the higher-ups would admit. Sera wrote off Spitfire's behavior as an isolated incident, and Morgan supposed she couldn't tell if Wings was any different. But Kitsun, as well as he'd gotten off overall, refused to battle Poochyena and Mightyena now. And Cerebus… He'd lost so much of his former spark. Morgan didn't need to hear their exchange to tell his behavior toward Flash was a total 180 from their previous rivalry, and she couldn't blame him at all.

There _was_ Mithril, she supposed, who for all intents and purposes seemed calmer- more focused- after his revival. But she hesitated to call that an "improvement" when it seemed so much more likely that it was a similar side effect and just _happened_ to work to her benefit.

And if all this was just what Morgan could see, what was there under the surface? Damage, scars, that she _couldn't _see? She wondered if it was fair to force Pokemon to deal with that. Not that she'd normally prefer being dead to being 'broken', but the more she thought about it, the more upsetting she found it that the Pokemon couldn't have a say in that choice.

That it even _was_ a choice.

Her own damage she could deal with. It happened, it affected her, and she'd been learning to accommodate. But with them, there was a conscious decision to be made as to whether to inflict such a fate upon them, and she couldn't even ask them beforehand what they'd prefer, because they still wouldn't know what they were agreeing to until-and-unless they actually experienced it. They could not make an _informed_ decision, which left it to her to decide their fates, or to force them to make a choice without knowing what they were agreeing to, and…

This entire system was a moral clusterfuck. Who exactly had invented or discovered Revives, and whose sick idea was it to make them available to young people who were already struggling to secure their own livelihoods?

When her Pokemon were healed, she still had some time to kill before she would be allowed to challenge the Gym. Well, no sense sitting on her ass just waiting.

Instead, she mounted Andraste- who had been omitted from the battle at her own request, not wanting to fight Sapphron- and headed southwest. There were a few routes she'd technically been to on Briney's boat without ever having encountered a wild Pokemon, and this seemed like as good a time as any to see what she could get.

As it turned out, a Honedge (named _Happy_, of all things… okay) and a Froakie (named Russia) from Wonder Trade. Not a bad haul. Not bad at all.

They made it back to Fortree a little before midnight, and more than ever Morgan loved the freedom granted by the impossibly fast demigod who'd chosen her as a companion.

She decided to touch down at the edge of town rather than in the middle mostly to give herself a brief chance to stretch her legs before turning in for the night, but on her way to the Pokemon Center, she spied some movement in the distance. Had it been casual, she'd have paid it no mind, but this was quick and erratic- clearly someone trying not to be seen.

"Hello?" called Morgan. "Who's there?" Whether they answered or took it as a warning that she was onto them, the question seemed like a win-win.

"I've been asking that question for fourteen years myself," came a vaguely familiar voice.

It took Morgan a moment, but then she found herself suddenly honestly excited. "...Aarune?"

"Ssh," he whispered. "The trees have ears." Of course they did. "But if you want to find some that don't, come with me."

Of course, the strangest part of this evening was that this wasn't the first time Morgan had followed a fidgety man of questionable stability to a secret guild hall, just the first in Hoenn or without a party of fellow adventurers at her side, unless she counted her Pokemon.

Maybe Morgan should really start questioning her life choices a little more.

* * *

Then again, maybe not. The Guild of Secrets was looking like a better and better option, to be honest… She wouldn't abandon her quest _quite_ yet, but…

The Fortree Gym was pretty easily handled early the following morning, and Morgan headed to Route 120.

She'd taken little more than a few steps when an Absol appeared to her, not even appearing aggressive. Her Dex app informed her that Absol often appeared to warn of impending disasters, and Morgan couldn't help but bark a laugh. "My buddy. My pal, my dude… You don't even _know_…"

"... Sol," he said flatly.

"Heh." Morgan rolled her eyes. "Man, I guess you're my first encounter, too… I don't suppose you're going to quietly come with me so I don't have to fight you, huh?" To her surprise, he nodded. "... What? Really?" Again, he nodded. "... Uh… Well okay then."

She dug out and held out a ball to him, and watched as he entered without struggle. "How about that… Welcome to the team, I guess, Omen." Impending disasters aside, maybe he would also be something of a good omen? A sign that someone was noticing what was happening and willing to help?

… That interpretation would have held more water if she hadn't… seen… _so very many _Absol in passing as she traveled down the route. She checked her Nav, then checked it twice, then thrice, just in case she misread, but each time confirmed Absol were _very rare_, and seeing them in such numbers _definitely_ warranted the chills it sent down her spine.

Then she saw it.

In the middle distance, on a low cliff, staring right at her.

Brilliant cerise skin encompassed by soft rose-white fur, with teal eyes contrasting so sharply against its face that Morgan could make out their color from here. The light caught it at every angle: just like Mithril, just like Flash.

A Shiny Absol.

For half a moment Morgan cursed her luck and all the gods of Hoenn that she'd spent her catch already, but then Norman's words so long ago echoed. Shiny Pokemon were such a rarity that exceptions to the capture rule were not just allowed. They were encouraged.

Immediately she released Andraste, whose colors complimented the other creature's so well. "I need it," Morgan eloquently explained. By the time Andraste understood what she meant and Morgan had mounted up, the Absol was turning away to bolt off into the distance. "_After it._"

Morgan pursued, but she soon lost sight of the beast in the mountainous terrain.

Neither could Andraste track it, for its Dark typing prevented her from scanning for its presence. So they looked manually.

For an hour.

For two hours.

For three.

Morgan got a call.

"Sweetie, you've been flying in circles for a while. What are you doing?" Genevieve inquired.

"There's a Shiny Absol here somewhere," Morgan explained. "I've gotta find it."

"Oh! Goodness, I'll have to rewind the playback to see it! I certainly understand, then. Best of luck to you!"

* * *

Day two. They'd still not found the elusive treasure.

Norman called this time. One of the first calls she'd received from him her entire journey.

He congratulated her on her sighting, and told her he was willing to allow some delay for such a compelling find, but to please try not to drag it on too long. If she couldn't find it, better to cut her losses than fall _too _far behind.

Morgan assured him everything would be fine.

* * *

Day four. While they hunted, Morgan had also been training. Almost nonstop hunting and training.

Happy was a Doublade now. Russia was a Frogadier. About once a day, she'd jumped back up to Fortree to swap her team out- all except Cerberus and Mithril, of course. Usually Andraste stayed as well, but when she needed a rest, Mithril proved a suitable replacement for deep scouring versus broad sweeps.

They checked the edges past the boundary lines from time to time.

Morgan must have slain or injured nearly a hundred normal Absol in her pursuit of the Shiny. In fact, she'd brought up an application on her Nav to count that she had.

Thanks to the Exp Share she still carried, her Pokemon grew at an unparalleled rate- especially those that never left her party… Mithril scarcely listened to her commands in battle anymore, but that was fine. Xe'd never been the _most_ obedient Pokemon, and xe normally knew what xe was doing anyway.

Morgan trusted Mithril's advice. Mithril had started giving such wonderful advice.

* * *

Day six spent on Route 120.

Sera called. She sounded worried. It sounded kind of important? Morgan didn't really have time for her right now.

She hung up.

Omen died later that day during training. Morgan did not grieve. She understood she'd have a better Absol soon. Mithril agreed.

* * *

Day seven.

An entire week poured into this hunt.

The calls she got were less concerned now, and more threatening.

If she didn't give up the hunt and continue on her journey, they'd cut her healing access.

She had more berries than she knew what to do with.

They'd cut all her supplies in general.

She had friends and sources.

If she forced their hand, they'd take her Pokemon again. They'd consider this another Violation and punish her accordingly.

Morgan considered this.

She looked down at the Latias she rode. She considered the number of Pokemon who came anywhere near matching her travel speed.

She considered the number and strength of her psychic Pokemon, and her own quickly developing mental powers. She could readily understand Mithril now. She'd started understanding Kitsun in the past few days as well. At this rate, it may not be long until she didn't even need their help to block signal.

She considered the implications of finding such a rare Pokemon associated with omens so soon after she'd considered abandoning this entire journey anyway.

If they could not find her, and they could not catch her, and she neither wanted nor needed them...

"Good fucking luck," said Morgan.

Then Andraste flashed with power, and Morgan's signal went black.


	25. Interlude

Steven stared at his distorted reflection in the plates of his Skarmory's back as he mentally reflected on the situation at hand. This was far from the first time his mind made that 'reflection' joke, even though there was never anyone to share it with and he realized he shouldn't have found it _that_ amusing to begin with. He supposed he may have just been a little weak for puns in general…

Some may have argued this was hardly the time for humor, but the momentary levity hardly detracted from the gravity of the threats at hand; it just made it easier to breathe for a moment. And Steven could hardly give credence to any who would argue that was a bad thing- _especially_ with everything at stake.

All his research, both before all this started and in these past few days, suggested that Primal Reversion was similar to but much, much more powerful than Mega Evolution. And with two creatures _already_ considered high-tier gods as the starting point… There was still so much to be done, both to try to prevent either from being awakened and to have precautionary measures in place if they were.

Currently, he soared over Route 120- oblivious to the association the route would gain in about a week's time. Morgan had only just left Fortree this morning, if she'd done so at all yet, while Sera had left some time yesterday.

And speak of the manic pink devil… "Mercury, take us down," Steven requested.

_Of course._

As they descended, he noted that Sera seemed to be just… standing there. Or rather, she looked like she was? Feigning distress? It was too dramatic to be sincere, and her Shiftry didn't seem to be responding to whatever it was, but…

He could have allowed Mercury to land and slid down like a reasonable person, but that wasn't nearly so fun as dramatically dropping to the ground and striking a bold landing pose as Mercury looped back around to land beside him. Nor did it make so strong an impression, which was very much his intent at the moment.

Sera startled at the sound and perhaps the rush of wind from Mercury zooming by so close overhead, but was visibly relieved when she saw the source. "Arceus, you scared me. To what do I owe the-" She stopped mid-sentence and glanced to her Nav, which was floating unhindered. "Ah…?"

But Steven shook his head. "It's fine. I know what I'm doing." As Sera gave a small sound of acknowledgement, Steven's eyes fell to the broken line of blatant red zigzags behind her- or what travel-direction-wise had been in front of her. "But first, what are _you_ doing…?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Sera. "You see, I was just…" She lay the back of her hand against her forehead. "Ever so distraught, trying to figure out how on earth to get around this… invisible barrier!"

Steven deadpanned. "... Sera. You know tho-" She quickly positioned herself such that her back was to the line again and discreetly placed a finger to her lips, cutting him off. Steven's eyes dropped for a moment to the Shiftry, who just shrugged, before moving back to Sera.

"Indeed! Alas, curse my rotten luck, that I might be plagued by so insurmountable an obstacle!"

… But they were Kecleon. They were blatantly Kecleon. There was no way the professor's daughter didn't know this. "...Right. So should I just go on with the reason for my visit or-"

Sera let out a sudden sharp gasp. "Wait! I know! I'll have to use my trusty… Devon Scope!" Her what? She dug through her bag and retrieved what was very blatantly a flimsy masquerade mask, complete with feather decorations. The body was probably thick paper or thin plastic or something. "Through the power of science, even the most invisible of objects shall become completely visible!"

"... Sera."

She held the mask to her face- the mask with actual holes for eyes, not even any sort of lenses- and gasped again. "My oh my! It's a horde of Kecleon! I never would have guessed!"

_She's onto us!_ one Kecleon exclaimed.

_Run for it!_ panicked another. The lot of them quickly dispersed, leaving the pathway clear once again.

Once they were gone, Steven wasn't sure what to make of the whole ordeal. "You know, I'm fairly certain that simple infrared would suffice for most stealth detection needs." The mechanics required to make something universally _un_-invisible- especially given Kecleon used a different method than Latios and Latias, proving at least two-or-more _different_ methods would need to be deconstructed- sounded like an impractical nightmare.

"Yeah, I know," Sera shrugged with a bright smile. "But it makes them so happy to think their camouflage actually worked." She giggled.

Steven rolled his eyes. It was a sweet gesture in theory, but he was sure they'd appreciate it far less when they expected their stripes to be equally invisible to predators only to find they weren't so lucky. "...Anyway," he went on. "I need to talk to you for a moment about Team Aqua and Team Magma."

Sera bristled, her mirth quickly draining. "... What is it?"

He looked more directly at her Nav, now. "As bold as they're becoming, we can no longer continue sweeping incidents under the rug. I've done a lot of thinking these past few days, and I believe the public needs to understand that recent events involving either team have not been isolated incidents. They are both very real and current threats, but I also want to give my solemn vow that the Pokemon League has at last fully acknowledged this fact and will be devoting itself whole-heartedly to keeping the people of Hoenn safe."

Sera looked between him and the Nav, understanding that he wasn't exactly speaking to her, expression questioning that fact.

Steven forced a hint of a smile through an otherwise somber expression as he finally turned to her. "And you… Understand that you are only one trainer, and as strong as you've grown, you do have limits. I don't want to see you running off to chase the enemy into the abyss alone again," he warned.

"Ah… R-right…" Sera's eyes fell to the ground.

"However…"

She quickly looked back up. "Hm?"

"It has become quite obvious that neither you nor Morgan are very good at staying out of trouble when you come across it, so rather than continuing to ask you to do so, what I want to ask now is for you to please proceed with caution, and try not to get in over your head."

Sera's eyes grew wide. "Yes, of course!"

Steven nodded firmly, then reached in his pocket to produce a piece of Swampertite. "This should help keep you safe," he explained. What he _didn't_ say was that certain colleagues- particularly one fussy Sootopolitan- had maybe perhaps convinced him that giving Morgan that Sceptilite the other day _may_ have been too strong a display of "favoritism" and _may_ have been slightly less than kosher as a result. Not that they would have even known if Steven hadn't opened his big mouth… So this would both give Sera an edge over the team with whom her path seemed to cross most often _and_ put an end to that criticism.

He looked back 'into the camera'. "People of Hoenn," he began, "I hereby promise you as your Champion that I, Steven Stone, with the help of the entire League and brave upstanding trainers like Sera Birch and Morgan Fayel, will protect this great land from those who would see it in ruin." He shifted into a slow, confident smile. Part of it was to convey assurance to the audience, but part was far more sincere. Rumors may have started to spread already; he couldn't be sure. But this still technically counted as his officially publicly coming out… and by doing it when and how he had, hopefully most people would be too busy dealing with all the other information he was dropping to spend much time caring.

After all, they may or may not edit Sera's playback footage soon, but the live broadcasting aspect meant enough people would have seen it to get word out; definitely preferable to a press conference that might be edited before ever being seen and which would certainly have had many more questions thrown at him. This way, he had to explain neither himself nor more about the impending threats than he wanted to just now.

And speaking of said threats, the documents with what research he'd gathered should be arriving at Devon some time today, which would give his father something much more urgent to consider than his heir's public image. By the time he had _time_ to worry about what people would think of Steven, hopefully most people would care more about 'the Champion who helped save the world' than 'the trans Champion'.

"Each of us must do our part," he went on. "So remember. If you see anyone who looks to be affiliated with either team, report it to the authorities at once. Together, we can keep our homeland safe. For no force shy of the gods themselves is strong enough to break the will of Hoenn." He breathed a quiet, hopeful sigh.

With any luck, this informal address would incite more determined vigilance than panic. And ideally, Devon would roll with it from here. He was certain his father would have fought him on the matter, but Steven did tend to be a fan of that whole saying about forgiveness versus permission. Now the options were to either back him up or to try to push the issues _back_ under the rug from which Steven had unearthed them, sending the people mixed signals about their leadership. President Stone was an overly cautious, manipulative bastard, but he was not a fool.

Steven would have thanked the gods that there was such a prestigious pair competing in the Games right now to exploit, were some of the gods not precisely the problem…

When his speech had ended, he and Sera both stood somewhat awkwardly. "...Sooo," she said at last, "did you need me for anything else, or…?"

Steven thought it over, but shook his head. "No, I don't believe so. Other than to wish you luck, and to implore you once again to stay safe."

Sera nodded. "Don't worry about me. I've held my own against Maxie, and I get the feeling I've had more time to focus on training than he has since then."

"Mm… A fair point, but all the same, do avoid unnecessary risks if you can." As a thought came to mind, Steven smirked. "I imagine your father's already going to be after my hide for condoning you being part of the front lines at all."

Sera's laugh seemed a little forced, but any thought he may have had about it was soon dispelled as she looked him over and flashed him what he could only describe as a come-hither smile. "Though you know… If you _really_ want to make sure I stay safe, I could think of worse company~"

Steven raised an eyebrow, then dismissively chuckled. "Cute. But I'm afraid you're not quite my type." ...Come to think, apparently his type was 'androgynous, snarky, and bitter as a Durin berry'. When did that happen... Though ah- also, _not_ nearly-a-decade-younger-than-him, he supposed… even if… Morgan wasn't _much_ better…

"Boooo," Sera faux-pouted before giggling. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

He could actually think of quite a few reasons he _could_, but he supposed he'd hold his tongue for now. Instead, he just offered her a polite nod as he climbed back atop Mercury. "There's still much to be done, so I'm off. Good luck again."

"You too~"

The Skarmory took flight, and Steven headed east to the next stop on his list.

* * *

A/N: Kind of a short chapter, but I figured (a) Steven PoV being on its own made sense enough, and (b) I really should update to clarify that last chapter wasn't the end; I just lost steam at the worst possible time, eheh. Morgan will be back in due time.


	26. Matters of Life and Death

Steven certainly was something, wasn't he? After he left, Sera brought out the Absol she'd caught earlier that morning, whom she had promptly named Snow White. Pelt found it amusing that his fur was equally white since evolving, but, of course, said nothing.

"Do you really think we have a chance, Snow?" Sera consulted the borderline prophetic beast.

_I'm afraid I cannot see the future in detail_, the Absol answered. _Usually premonitions are as vague as 'something bad is coming in this general area'. When we are fortunate, a fleeting glimpse might accompany this feeling, but it's an out-of-context snap shot. We cannot see the details surrounding it._

Mmm… "And… you say I was in such a snapshot for you?" she asked.

Snow nodded. _I don't know how you're involved or your odds of success. But I know if you are to face the threat to come, I want to lend what support I am able. So to answer, I cannot say whether or not you truly 'have a chance'. ...But I __**hope**_ _you do, and for now, that is all we can do._

Sera hummed softly to herself. She supposed that was true. She'd always believed that when the future looked uncertain, the best thing one could do was keep trying as if the effort would ensure things would work out in the end. … She'd just… never had her own future look quite _this_ uncertain before…

The sound of her Nav ringing made Sera jump, and she beckoned the machine closer to s- It was dad calling… She cursed under her breath, knowing anyone watching would be able to see she'd checked the Nav, so just ignoring the call would be too obvious. So she answered.

She did her best to paste on a smile when the immediate tirade began Of course, now it was both berating (yet again) for chasing Tabitha the other day and new raving about how she'd better not dare be thinking of taking that so-called "League permission" to keep getting involved in Team affairs, and-

"D-dad?" Sera feigned. "I'm sorry, the signal's kind of shaky here, I can't really hear you. Hello?" It took a moment, but Pelt quickly caught on, using his Extrasensory to first tamper with the signal for about ten seconds, then cut it off entirely for just a few more. Just long enough to drop the call. Sera smiled her quiet thanks to him, then turned the ringer volume down on her Nav before continuing.

* * *

Route 120 was pretty long, wasn't it? Sera knew this, but the density of the foliage made it take that much longer to traverse. Of course, Sapphron could have Levitated over it, but she didn't want any accusations of cheating. Which was to say, she'd already gotten a slight warning to tone that back, and didn't want to risk them trying to revoke her ability to use Sapphron at all when she really needed him…

Besides, it was only her fourth day here, and since Morgan had been lingering trying to find a Shiny Absol she'd spotted for the past three, Sera could afford to take a little longer traveling than she might have. She'd just… have to hope if anyone was on their way to Mt. Pyre, they'd be at least as slow as she was. Yeah… Tabitha said they'd be on foot, right? So… she'd just keep telling herself slow and steady was better than drawing suspicion or ire.

If there was one thing helping, it was that wild Pokemon encounters seemed to be scarcer than expected. "Helping" was a relative term, as it did get her a little _spooked_, but at least she wasn't stopping to battle every ten minutes.

Once, though, she was approached very directly, by an Absol significantly larger than Snow White. Flash took a threatening stance as he approached, but Sera stilled him, sensing no malice from the creature.

_You are Sera, _he stated, almost but not quite a question. _You have made contact with the dragon clan. _Sera could only assume he meant Latios and his kin.

"I am," she responded.

_Wait here_, he commanded. Sera wasn't sure what to make of that, and Flash didn't care for taking orders from a wild Pokemon, but within a minute of bounding off, the Absol had returned, a small circular stone in his mouth. For a moment, Sera wondered if he was conveniently providing her with an Absolite, but as she took it, she found it larger and altogether different in appearance from any Mega Stone she'd seen. _You should take this. I have a feeling you will need it._

As she looked it over, she nearly asked what it was before a bell finally rang faintly in the back of her mind. "Is this a _Life Orb?_" The Absol nodded. "But… doesn't that hurt Pokemon who use it?"

_It empowers our attacks by infusing our very life energy into each one,_ he clarified. _So, yes, it does._

Sera bit her lip. "I'd… really rather not use something like that if I don't have to," she admitted.

_Keep it_, the Absol insisted. _...For a rainy day._

Sera hesitated a few moments more, but then nodded. She supposed desperate times called for desperate measures, and it didn't really get much more desperate than the potential apocalypse. Should it come to it… Well, she hoped it didn't, but she'd be ready.

"Thank you, Absol."

* * *

Thankfully, her trip wasn't all doom and gloom. On her fourth night, she found a Secret Base in which she could camp and try to call Tabitha again, but quickly found it was claimed, and its owner home.

Upon spotting the Key Stone hanging from her neck (her bracelet having been modified and melded into a choker), the trainer, Qypsy, agreed to let her stay, but only if she'd have a battle with him. Apparently, he, too, was a Mega User, and hadn't been able to face another trainer with the ability in years. Sera found this a fair trade, leaving her Nav with Pelt and Tank inside the base while the trainers found a spacious area outside.

Qypsy sent out, to her surprise, a Blaziken. Sera wished she'd waited just a moment to be able to answer with Flash, but Sapphron was already materializing by the time she saw the opposing Pokemon. Oh well. Qypsy promptly Mega Evolved his Blaziken, and Sera bit the inside of her mouth. Still, not wanting to give him a free shot by switching or be outdone by waiting too long to echo the transformation, she opted to Mega Evolve Sapphron instead, telling herself a Mega Legend was even more prestigious anyway.

The battle was surprisingly close, but when Sapphron pulled through, Sera agreed they could both switch Pokemon for a fresh round. "Now, let me show you what a _real_ starter looks like~!" she boasted, eager to see the look on his face when he saw her _Shiny_ Blaziken.

Sera retrieved Flash's ball, and Qypsy his next Pokemon's. In unison, they sent them out, and Flash materialized across from-

_A Shiny Sceptile…_

…

Sera stared in silence for a moment before simply bursting into uncontrollable laughter. _What were the ODDS…_ It was nearly five minutes before she was able to continue the battle, and although she eventually won, that honestly paled in comparison to just… _this experience_. Wow. _Wow…_ Just. WOW.

* * *

Upon finally getting to Route 121, Sera quickly caught a Shuppet. While she'd always found them sort of cute, it didn't seem very immediately helpful and the chance of something more useful felt worth taking. So she Wonder Traded it off, and received…

A Makuhita…

She could practically feel Wings rolling in his grave, and tried to crack a grim smile at the thought, but... She really… _really_ hoped Tabitha was okay…

Two more days brought her nearly to the base of Mt. Pyre. She was already growing nervous, even if things still seemed quiet and peaceful, just knowing she'd soon be going off script and be facing questions about that. Of course she knew she could get away with going in general. She'd lost Pokemon on this journey, and it was a sacred place. Paying her respects would be fine. ...But if she had to wait around, how long would they humor her? Ih…

However, as Sera approached the dock, she overheard a conversation that made her heart stop.

"I'm telling you, it was definitely Aqua. I know what I saw." It was a child.

"Yeah! They said something about getting the oars before Magma!" Another child, a little younger than the first.

"That's stupid," said the elder. "Why would Magma need a boat, let alone a rowboat?"

"I don't know, but that's what they said!" insisted the younger.

"_Hush_," their presumably-mother scolded. "Now _isn't_ the time for stories. Do you want to start a panic?"

But Sera didn't stick around to hear more. She entirely believed the children, except she was fairly certain what had been said was _Orbs._ So, while some twenty people lingered around the docks waiting for the Ferry service to Mt. Pyre, Sera opted to take the express route, hopping on Tank to surf across instead.

A Tentacool did momentarily impede her progress, but it was quickly caught and traded for… A Duskull did not feel like a promising sign right now… But, doing her best to steel herself, Sera pressed onward.

Mt. Pyre was terrifying in far more ways than she expected. The singular monolith felt much more imposing than the mountain ranges she'd seen in the past, to start. A thick aura hung around the place that made her shudder, but that wasn't even the worst of it.

There were just… _so many people_ here? She'd always known what Mt. Pyre _was_, but she assumed it was mostly filled by Pokemon who had died of old age or occasionally Game competitors'... The amount of _young_ trainers here was…

She didn't have time to dwell on this.

She scoured the tower and the mountain, inside out, finding it impossible to progress after a certain point, but that was _good_. Whatever mysterious Seal kept the orbs safe was still in place, and even if Aqua had apparently been skulking around recently, she found no sign they'd been here yet.

...But now what? Could she afford to wait? Especially with how much heat Morgan was starting to get for her delays recently… Though that brought up a good point: Morgan was still headed this way. Maybe if Sera could encourage her to hurry and swing by this way, she could linger for a day or two and have Morgan fast approaching by the time she was ready to leave.

However, when she tried to call, Morgan didn't seem interested, and quickly hung up on her. ...That. _really_ did not feel like a good sign…

And, truth be told, Sera was getting more spooked the longer she was here. She really didn't _want_ to try to spend the night in the cemetery… So, instead, she made sure big brother wouldn't be watching before asking about half the staff of the tower to register her number and call her if anything should come up, bluffing that her Absol seemed concerned about the tower rather than admit the true nature of her worries. Most seemed content enough to buy it, and even the skeptics still weren't going to turn down the opportunity to have a strong trainer on call 'just in case'.

Once that was done, Sera… figured she may as well actually pay her respects. Koaf, Pikachu, Wings… None of them were actually buried here, but even still…

How many times had she revived now? Two, three? If she was… very, _very_ lucky, maybe she could still bring them all back at the end of all this, but… There was still a long road ahead…

She wished she could bring all her Pokemon out, but given that would have been both crowded and arguably inappropriate, she stuck to just Flash for now. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close. _Hey… It'll be okay. We'll find a way._

She nodded, but she was still trying to convince herself. "I hope you're right…"

_When has our bond ever failed us before? _he asked. That was true… Steven had warned them when he explained how to use their new Key Stones that Mega Evolution could sometimes have… _adverse_ effects on the Pokemon, especially when they weren't used to the process. Sapphron and Andraste had been bound to their Mega Stones so long, they were never a concern, but Pokemon like Flash and Mithril…? Well, Steven had assured them that if their bond was powerful enough, they should get through any issues soon enough, but so far, Flash seemed to take to it like a Luvdisc to water.

Not.. that Sera 'needed' some sort of 'scientific proof' that their bond was uncannily strong, or anything. But, well, having more than _just _her heart to tell her how much power could be derived from that was still reassuring right now.

As Flash looked up from their embrace, he smiled and prompted, _Ah, Sera. It seems you have a little fan._

Sera followed his gaze to a young girl in a pink dress, who promptly argued, "I'm not _that_ little!"

Sera giggled and started to reply, only to belatedly realized what prompted that exclamation. As her eyes grew wide, she asked, "Wait! Can you _hear_ him?"

The little girl's eyes seemed to fill with sparkles. "So I was right…!" The glistening soon revealed itself to be a result of watering as the girl began to tear up a little. "When I told everyone I could talk with Pokemon, they became concerned for me… But you… you can too, right? I've seen the way you carry on with them on tv, and… I _have _to be right… right?"

Sera had teared up now herself, promptly dropping to her knees and hugging the child, before realizing that could be taken very poorly if any of her family was around and quickly putting a more appropriate distance between them again. Too affectionate and she'd be a creep, but a celeb giving a young fan a quick hug was fine right? She was gonna tell herself that… But! Priorities! "I can, and I promise, you have nothing to be concerned about! People don't believe me most of the time, either, but…"

As she debated what to say, Flash suddenly blurted, _Meteor Mash._

""Meteor Mash?"" asked the girls in unison, before Sera realized what he was doing and gasped in delight. "Ah, see! We both heard that! The same thing! What would be the odds if it was all in our heads?"

The little girl smiled brightly, and she and Sera ended up talking for nearly an hour before the girl's father finally came by. "Sweetie, we're ready t- Oh? Oh my, you're Sera Birch, aren't you? Momo's a big fan of yours. Ah- she hasn't been bothering you, has she?"

"Not at all!" exclaimed Sera. "She's an absolute delight." Momo giggled as Sera ruffled her hair. "But I guess you need to go now, huh?"

Momo frowned for a moment, but then smiled again. "Hey! Before I do, could we have a battle?" Her father conceded they probably had a little time before the ferry left, and Sera thought perhaps riding the ferry back to the mainland rather than surfing now that she wasn't in such a hurry sounded all right, so… who was she to deny a fan?

They headed outside so as not to disturb the other visitors, and near the dock Momo sent out her Jigglypuff. Sera decided Pelt had been lagging behind the others a bit in terms of raw power lately, so he could both use the training and would provide a little easier opponent for Momo.

"Ah~! Hi, Pelt!" she exclaimed. "He's one of my favorites!"

"...Mine too," Sera admitted sheepishly. "Not that I don't love all my Pokemon a lot, of course~" But Tank, Flash, Pelt, and… she supposed Sapphron had a lot of potential since she'd met him. They held a bit of an extra special place in her heart.

Sera checked her Nav- still offline given the location, but the battle interface still working fine as a local service- and offered Momo the first move. Wake-Up Slap wasn't a bad choice at all, though with Pelt already being wide awake it didn't hurt _too_ much.

Pelt followed the move with a Leaf Blade-

And Sera's breath caught in her lungs as her Nav beeped urgently. Critical Hit...

"My Pokemon! You aren't in pain, are you?" Momo rushed forward, but Sera was staggering backwards, hands pressed to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. She… she didn't… of all the accidents they'd had, she…

Pelt wasn't sure what to do either, just shuffling awkwardly, and the girl's father stood in shock as well. When Sera finally tried to step forward, Momo began mumbling without looking up from her Jigglypuff. "It's more fun to be with Pokemon than to talk to people…" Sera… could feel this, from the depths of her soul. As friendly as she tried to be with people, and as much as she craved human company at times, given the choice on the average day… "Battling with Trainers… might be a bit fun though…"

...Suddenly, this child had become incredibly creepy, and while Sera told herself she was probably just in shock and not really thinking about what she was saying, she still didn't really feel like waiting for the ferry to get out of here anymore. So she just um… She made her way to the girl's father, apologizing, and giving him enough money for a Revive and then some, and her contact information so she could approve the purchase if they wouldn't sell to him directly. She didn't… have a _lot _of Revive credits to start with, but… she would not have been able to live with something like this on her conscience.

After apologizing profusely again, she recalled Pelt and Flash and sent out Tank, eager to get away as quickly as possible.

* * *

Sera had traveled late into the night to get to Lilycove rather than camping, crashing late and sleeping in late as a result. She'd expected the only way for today to be worse than yesterday was for her to get word from Mt. Pyre, but the call that woke her-

"She did _WHAT?_"

No, no no no _no_, Morgan, _what?_ How were they supposed to… Ohhh, Sera really, _really_ hoped this was some kind of long con Morgan was pulling… She wouldn't really just abandon everyone, would she…?

* * *

It wasn't, and she would.

In fact, while Morgan still intended to hunt down that elusive Absol, she'd left Route 120 for now, at least after convincing Andraste that everything would be fine. The only rules they were breaking were Devon's and the League's, after all. And as much division as there seemed to be in the League… Well, honestly, if Steven stepped up and got things under control, part of her all but assumed he'd understand and grant her pardon; he didn't like the Games anyway.

And if not, things would still be fine. They could get by out here, and if they ran into trouble, they could still tackle it, even easier without the League holding their collective leash, for that matter.

Andraste was skeptic, but she admired Morgan's conviction, and… she supposed she could agree that the system as it existed- as she'd seen it thus far- did not seem like a desirable one to be a part of...

Admittedly, Mithril may have helped convince her, too. Xe was becoming very persuasive.

So, with a little help from them, Kitsun, and the Guild, Morgan was able to retrieve all the Pokemon she owned to move to her own personal storage in her new Secret Base, set up way out in the middle of nowhere. Not that she'd have bothered storing them at all if she could be sure how her Exp Share would react to more than six Pokemon, but she supposed six was plenty to ensure she could continue training at the rate she had been. And with more and more excursions into the Wilds now, that rate was faster than ever.

Morgan had a feeling she would like this new routine. Wake up in her base, fly out to the Berry Gardens for a while, battle some Pokemon, go search for that Absol, battle some more, heal everyone with berries, head back to base. Wake up, berries, battles, sear- OH!

She… She actually found it!? It had taken nearly two weeks of searching, but she was so happy! Honestly, the only downside to her new solitary lifestyle was her inability to rub Peppermint's gorgeous pink and red coloration in Sera's face.


	27. The Girl on Pyre

Really, Sera supposed Morgan's abandonment may have been serendipitous, in its own way. Certainly, the kind of attention it garnered was not ideal, but the scandal it created did hold people's attention, and Sera did what she could to try to make the most of it.

She didn't have to lie about having developed feelings for Morgan, or feeling personally betrayed by this stunt she was pulling, or not wanting to continue her journey until Morgan came back, or having faith that she _would _eventually come back. She didn't _have_ to lie, but _playing up_ each of those facts in just the right ways garnered audience sympathy and support and increased their investment a good amount. Sera assured both their fans that she _knew_ Morgan, that this wasn't like her, that unless there was some deeper secret reason she almost certainly was just struggling under all the pressure and only needed some time to cool down alone.

Many people, particularly among the League, particularly Professor Birch, were not happy with this. Not one bit. But the way Sera worked the cameras to get the audience behind her, frustrating as it was, meant she was still doing her job as a distraction, so they'd humor her… for a time.

Which left Sera hanging around Lilycove for roughly a week. Flash rocked some Cool contests. Zuma even got to see some action again in the Cute contests. Even Tank started trying his hand at some, showing how Tough he could be (or at least look). Sera did a lot of shopping, some personal meetings with fans, and a lot of traveling back and forth- to ah, sightsee, catch certain Pokemon for dad's research, and satisfy various fan requests, of course. If those very legitimate reasons _happened_ to give her an excuse to look for Morgan or Tabitha, well…

Twice, she tried looking around Mt. Chimney, but she found no signs of Team Magma anywhere.

She probably could have held out for a month or so like this, but she wouldn't get the chance, for one fateful afternoon, the call finally came: Mt. Pyre was being assaulted.

* * *

She rode on Sapphron's back, having him disrupt her Nav. Part of the reason for the latter was to block the incoming calls, both from the League (she'd sent Steven a quick message, but didn't care to deal with anyone else right now) and from more of the folks at Mt. Pyre. (Upon giving so many her number, she'd meant it so that no matter who first spotted the attackers, she'd hear about it quickly; not for _everyone_ who saw them to keep calling to see if she was almost there yet.) But the other reason was…

Sera sighed and hung up as, for the third time in a row, Morgan failed to answer her Guild-issued phone. Sera had refrained from calling before now, and sent only two or three texts along the lines of "hope you're well" that always went unanswered. But now… As the peak came into view, Sera quickly typed another text:

"Mt. Pyre under attack by both teams. I know you must've had your reasons for leaving, but I could really use your help. … I'm sure it sounds dumb but… there's no one I'd rather fight beside…"

She considered adding an 'in case I don't make it out of this', but then clenched her jaw and shook her head. She _would_, one way or another, so there was no need to entertain thoughts like that, and she sent the message as it was.

Sapphron still couldn't fly directly to the peak, it seemed; nor could Sera see it for the veil of unnatural fog that hung over it. So they landed at the lower edge of that fog, and found they were able to enter from there.

Within a minute of doing so, a voice cried out, _Not another step, scum!_ Sera startled as a Meditite came into view. _You and your comrades need to get OFF my mountain!_

Com-...? _Right_, her cloak. "You don't understand. I'm here to _stop_ them!"

The Meditite looked her over, then looked to the Latios at her side. While she wouldn't put it past villains to enslave such a Pokemon, she got no impression such a dynamic was present here. Relaxing her stance, she answered, _Very well. In that case, I intend to join you._

Sera barely took the time to nod before hurrying further up the path.

It was already clear this was no ordinary fog, but Sera soon realized how much it blocked sound as well, as she was nearly upon the battle before she heard them: the roars of Suicune and Entei doing battle. Suddenly stopping, she remembered the mountain was a blackout zone… so she took a moment to set her Nav to local recording. This way, should she need to, she'd have something to turn over, but she'd also have the chance to delete it before anyone ever knew she had it, should that serve her better. That done, she picked up her pace all the more, until crowds of red and blue came into sight.

It seemed this time, the Grunts were merely hanging back for the most part, watching their leaders vie for control. Archie and Maxie were locked in a fierce battle, while Matt and Courtney _fist fought_ rather than leaving things to their Pokemon. The latter was what drew Sera's attention most, if only because Courtney's impossibly quick, erratic movements and ability to take Matt's punches like nothing were so immediately unnerving.

When a grunt finally noticed Sera, he spun on his heels to face her. "You!" -o-oh, it was.. the guy she'd befriended back at the museum. "Come to make a fool of us again?" Several other grunts had turned now, and before Sera could protest he continued, "I'll show you the true terror of Team Magma!"

… "Which one?" she asked even as he sent out his Mightyena, unable to help herself.

"What?"

"Aren't two of the three terrors of Team Magma right over there?" she gestured toward Maxie and Courtney.

"...Cute," the Magma grunt said derisively. (Admittedly, it would have felt cuter to her if she wasn't wondering what happened to the third…) "But it won't-" He was suddenly silenced by a punch to the face, courtesy of Meditite, who proceeded to directly attack several other Grunts while Sera sent out her Pokemon to help clear the path. Once the Grunts realized they were in immediate personal danger, however, many of them soon fell back. She was one girl, after all. What were the odds she could take on four team leaders?

Sera worried the same as she stepped forward. Words suddenly froze in her throat. She felt like she should be calling out, but… to whom? Did she dare invite them to all gang up on her, or… how should she do this?

She surveyed the fights more closely. On the far side of her field of vision, an old man and woman stood on a dais in guarded poses, concerned but seemingly scared stiff, or maybe just holding their ground despite no way to enforce that.

To the left, Boreas and Pele seemed to be more bark than bite, trading threats but only rarely blows, whether as some sort of mind game or to conserve their energy or because they were already worn out she couldn't tell.

To the right, Matt was definitely starting to get worn out, but Courtney hadn't broken a sweat. "You should already be well aware… Continued efforts… will only yield similar results. Why waste your energy…?"

But Matt cracked a smirk even as he growled. "A _heartless_ bitch like you couldn't _understand._" And he landed a clean blow to her gut.

It stalled her, but only for a few moments. "... Unexpected."

Meanwhile, just in front of the dais, Maxie and Archie were both getting more intense, which for Archie meant passionately enthusiastic, and for Maxie meant _pissed_. "Better watch your temper, little Lava Cookie~!" Archie taunted with a wide grin; the term had an immediate visible effect on Maxie. "Get too hot and you'll burn right out."

"_**You**_," Maxie declared, "_**don't get to tell me what to do.**_" This might have been more intimidating if his voice didn't start cracking at this volume. "_You don't get to pretend you're __**concerned**_ _for me._" He'd started making his way right past their Pokemon to yell in Archie's face, having to stand on his toes to get close to doing so. "_And you __**don't**_ _get to call me __**stupid**_ _names that I __**hated**_ _even when we were __**together.**_"

Sera briefly debated just backing right down the mountain until they'd settled this, but knew she couldn't do that. Archie just breathed out a curt laugh. "_Didja _now? My memory must be a little screwy, 'cause that ain't how I'm recallin' it."

Maxie reached back and attempted to deck Archie, but Archie caught his hand. The regret on Maxie's face was immediately apparent. "Really, luv? Ya think you're gonna overpower me?"

Clearly, no. "... Courtney!" Maxie called with sudden force, and in the time it took Archie to process the word and frown in confusion, Courtney's eyes had flashed fiercely as she abandoned Matt to plow into Archie, her momentum carrying them much farther than it looked like a girl of her size should have.

In the time it took Matt and Archie to react, Maxie had rushed toward the dais, and Sera began to panic. Why did she not already have Fla- Oh shit wait, Sapphron was even faster and already on the move.

The Latios beat Maxie to the Orbs, grabbing both, though Sera did worry that the old couple was quicker to move out of the way to avoid the dragon-jet than they would have been for just-a-guy. No sooner did he have them, though, than both Boreas and Pele turned to attack, and while Pele's fire was brushed off, Boreas's ice was not.

The Orbs clattered to the ground, and Matt managed to preoccupy Courtney long enough for Maxie and Archie to both dive for them; Sera had rushed that way as well, but was far too late.

When they stood, Maxie held the Blue Orb, and Archie the Red. Slow smirks came to both faces. "It appears we have ourselves a bit of a conundrum…" Maxie mused.

"Aye, that it does. So what shall we do, mm?"

"Y-...you're going to get us all killed," Sera finally piped up. "Just…" She took a breath to muster her courage. "Just put them back!"

"Afraid we can't do that, lass," said Archie. "Not when we're this close."

"If you know what is wise for you, child, you will stay out of this," said Maxie.

Without warning, both Boreas and Pele suddenly let out pained cries, the prior glowing green as he stumbled and very nearly passed out; the latter suddenly assaulted by a giant blue frog. "I've always favored Intelligence over Wisdom," came a familiar voice behind Sera.

Spinning, heart leaping, she exclaimed, "Morgan! You came!" And she had a… Greninja? Apparently she'd been training that new Froakie a lot.

"Unfortunately. All I really want is to be left in peace, but it's gonna be awfully hard to relax if these assholes destroy the world, so…" She rode Andraste, and Cerebus and her Greninja both returned to her side. She then sent out three more Pokemon: Mithril, A-Aegislash? And- _Gardevoir?!_ When did she even get a _Ralts?_ Or had this one come evolved already?

Sera belatedly sent out her full team as well, and the combination of forces caused Archie and Maxie to back away and move closer together, until they were standing back to back. "J-Jetsam!" "Camerupt!" Had the bulk of their forces not been used on each other already, this battle might not be looking so grim for them. "Matt!" "Courtney!" But they still had cards on the table.

All their Admins' Pokemon joined their own, and the Admins themselves squared up to look for openings as well. As that fight started, Archie cracked a weak smile. "I dunno about you, luv… But I don't think I want it to end like this."

Although Maxie leered, he quietly asked, "Did you have something in mind…?"

"Mm…" Still back to back, he felt to grab the hand of Maxie's that held the Blue Orb… but rather than try to wrest it from his grasp, it was the hand itself he seemed more interested in, at least for now. Sceptile clashed with Camerupt, Blaziken with Mighyena, Meditite with Matt; but for the moment, Archie's focus was solely on their conversation. "Yanno we'll never see eye t' eye- an' that ain't a height joke, shortie~"

"Please get to the point..." Maxie droned, face starting to burn in more ways than one.

Archie's smile faded as his tone became more somber. "The ideals we carry oppose each other too directly to coexist. But we're both… tryin' ta fix things, aren't we?"

As Maxie started to understand, he nodded. "If we don't make it out of this, neither of us will get a chance to do that. Is that about the gist of it?"

"Mm," Archie hummed affirmatively. "And frankly… 'smany problems as I've got with you, I know…" He sighed. "I know your goals come from passion, not greed.."

"...Aye." That word from Maxie's mouth made Archie immediately more alert. "Something we have in common. Misguided as yours may be…" He smirked now. "So if I'm understanding you correctly… We'd both much rather lose to each other than to Devon and their attack dogs."

"Indeed," answered Archie. He shifted the hand that held Maxie's with the Blue Orb, even as he eased his own with the Red into Maxie's empty hand. "So what say you? Shall we make this a battle of ideals? A race to see who can truly change the world?" After a pause, he added more quietly, "For old time's sake…?"

Maxie tightened his grip around the Red Orb as he slowly loosened it on the Blue, and Archie did the opposite. "... Just to be clear," said Maxie, soft but sharp as they completed their exchange. "You're still a filthy, lying, dangerous madman who doesn't deserve to touch the dirt I walk on, and most days I'd still rather see you at the bottom of the sea you love so dearly."

Archie cringed, yet his only response was, "That's fair."

"...And somehow, for all of that, it seems I still can't quite tell you no. So who's the real imbecile, I wonder."

The Aqua Leader cracked a grin. "Pretty sure that'd be both of us, luv. But if you'll excuse me. Boreas!"

The Suicune didn't seem to hear him, currently trying to avoid another devastating blow from Cerebus. "Having trouble controlling one pet without the other?" Maxie taunted then, and whatever momentary comradery had resurfaced between the Leaders quickly evaporated once again.

Sharply, Archie snapped back, "She's _not-_"

But Maxie wasn't listening, bringing out his Nav-equivalent. "Pele. We're leaving."' The lights on the Entei's facial apparatus flashed briefly, and she immediately abandoned the battle to allow Maxie to mount up. His ride was made suddenly bumpier by an oncoming attack from a Mega Evolved Tank, but the Entei recovered quickly enough.

"Maxie, please!" Sera pleaded. "Reconsider." She knew this was useless, but… she had to try, right? As a thought occurred, she forced a smile and remarked, "I mean… Swampert here is both land and water… right?"

"Cute." The word came out closer to an insult, however. "But an inapt comparison when your beast is at least half and half." … Right. There was that. Loudly, Maxie feigned, "I certainly hope our friends don't follow you to _Slateport_ to further stall your plans, dear Archie~"

"You little-"

"Courtney? Cover our escape."

"Affirmative."

"Oh no ya don't!" As Entei began bounding away, Archie finally got Boreas's attention. But as he tried to go after his sister, Courtney again moved with inhuman speed to jump in the Suicune's path. His teeth sunk into her arm as he tried to fling her aside- and sparks flew around his mouth.

Sera briefly wondered why Suicune would have Thunder Fang, and why Courtney didn't seem more phased by such a move, and why Maxie would just leave her behind. But all those thoughts fell to the background as she ordered, "Sapphron! After him! Pelt, the Suicune!"

Pelt's Leaf Blade was only narrowly dodged, and Courtney's eyes quickly moved between Boreas and Sera. Stalling Archie was important, but if Sera was the bigger threat to Maxie within this moment, then, "Target acquired." Dipping and weaving through the chaotic array of Pokemon on the summit, Courtney made her way to Sera to deliver a clean, powerful punch.

Sera blacked out.


	28. On The Surface

"This is terrible. The Red and Blue Orbs must never be separated!" the old woman said.

"Yeah, well, I think we've got even bigger problems with those orbs now," Morgan muttered.

Sera sat on the mountain, watching her Nav playback- or listening now, as the case may be. She'd fallen on it when she was knocked out, leaving her with only audio after that point, so she didn't see exactly how everyone got away. But from what she gathered, Sapphron had abandoned his pursuit of Maxie to rush to Sera's aid when she was injured, and Archie had left at some point with a "Sorry, scampo~", and then…?

"Maxie said Archie was headed to Slateport, didn't he? I guess that's our best lead." That was Morgan's voice, and then a bunch of confused and chaotic noises, and then quiet. The old couple, when questioned, swore Morgan had literally disappeared. Not even all at once, like a Teleport, but from head to toe? Sera couldn't make any sense of it.

What she did know, though, was that she needed to get her Pokemon healed up, and then get to Mt. Chimney as quickly as she could. So, after a moment to officially capture her new Meditite comrade, she hopped on Sapphron's back, and off they went.

* * *

One minute, Morgan was on Mt. Pyre. The next, she was in Slateport.

At some point during that minute, she swore she saw the briefest flash of gold before her scenery changed, except she could still feel her feet on the mountain. By the time she processed this and got her body to cooperate to look down, however, all she caught was a glimpse of something dark collapsing and disappearing beneath her feet. … Well, _that_ was weird.

Upon confirming she'd lost no time, however, she decided there was no sense looking a gift horse in the mouth. This way, she'd be able to intercept Archie. Maybe even set up a blockade for him?

… Or she could have, if anyone believed her right away. In her urgency to stop, you know, the literal apocalypse, she had momentarily forgotten just how pissed off the League was going to be with her. Upon trying to call the authorities and being reminded, there was a part of her that seriously considered just leaving Hoenn to its fate, but… _unfortunately_… If what Shelley had said about the Primal beasts was true, the destruction wouldn't be limited to Hoenn, would it… _Fine…_

Once Sera finally got in touch and was able to corroborate her story about Mt. Pyre, though, they _did_ start making preparations for the Aqua Leader's arrival, even if they couldn't be certain where he'd show.

In the meantime, League officials were left trying to decide exactly what to do about Morgan. Surely, she couldn't just be let off the hook? But then, she'd proven effective against the teams in the past, so were they willing to deny themselves a potentially valuable resource simply to make a point? But then, what message would it send if they didn't? Officially speaking, her status for the next few hours was considered "Under Review". During that time, she was not to leave the Pokemon Center-

At least until Archie's voice came over a loudspeaker, echoing through a huge portion of the town. "Testing, 1 2 3… I hope you're out there listening, Stern." He paused, then with a sudden gravity said, "You _picked the wrong side_... But don't worry. Thanks to us, you can finally make up for it. I hope you appreciate this great honor!"

What was _that_ supposed to mean!? Morgan rushed toward the door, only to be blocked by two League officials who had been sent to keep an eye on her. One was blabbering something about needing to escort her, but Morgan just huffed a sigh. She didn't have _time_ for this, and with a wave of her arm, a burst of psychic force pushed both men aside.

Archie calling for Stern meant he was likely to be at either the Museum or the Shipyard, and the amount of ruckus coming from the latter made it very clear which as Morgan got closer.

She half expected to see a massive army of Aqua Grunts fighting, though she couldn't imagine how they would have _snuck_ so many into town. Instead, she found no Grunts at all… only _Boreas_ mowing down trainer after trainer. The average enforcer was no match for the legend, let alone the shipyard employees and security. Wattson had been called earlier during the planning of this failure of a blockade, and was supposed to be on his way from Mauville, but who knew if he'd make it in time.

Sighing, Morgan psychically pulled a trainer out of Boreas's line of fire to fling back behind her, then flinched from the effort. That took… considerably more effort than just shoving the guys aside, it seemed, and even that was still sort of a strain on her current ability level. She'd have to be more careful…

But for now, she'd cleared a path, and released Cerebus. "Mega Drain," she ordered, immediately getting the Suicune's attention. Even moreso when his Ice attacks _barely phased the Sceptile_. Spying the look of shock even in the legend's features, Morgan smirked. "Pyre wasn't a fluke," she told him. "We've gotten stronger."

Strong enough, in fact, that she trusted Cerebus to take care of Boreas all by himself while she made her way past the fray and into the shipyard, just in time to see two figures in blue boarding a submarine. "NOT SO FAST," Morgan shouted. She tried to use her psychic power to shut the hatch, but Archie caught it.

Turning to her, he raised his brows. "Well I'll be damned. Did you just get here or'd you actually beat us here from Pyre?" Morgan just clenched her jaw as she reached for Mithril's ball. Her eyes moved from Archie to the downtrodden face of Shelly, who seemed to be specifically avoiding looking Morgan's way. Damn right she should be ashamed. "That's a neat trick you picked up, too," Archie continued, pushing the hatch back to a full open position, climbing halfway down and reaching a hand back for Shelly, even as his eyes stayed on Morgan. "But I'm afraid you're too late to stop us now. We're gonna set things right."

The silver Metagross appeared, and Morgan barked, "You're going to kill us all is what you're gonna do! _She_ knows that! And on that note, _what the hell_ are you doing going along with this!?" Mithril levitated off the ground, then began hovering toward the submarine to examine it.

Shelly bit her lip, but did not respond.

"You say that like there wasn't already a massacre," Archie said, usual mirth suddenly drained from his presence.

"... _What?_" Not so much disbelief as confusion. The only thing she could vaguely imagine was the Pokemon casualties Shelly had mentioned from Sea Mauville, but surely some collateral damage wasn't inspiring all _this?_

Mithril rammed the sub, leaving a noticeable dent and causing Shelly to fall as she followed Archie, though she just landed in his arms, because of _course_ she did. Morgan rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Shelly," Archie said, tone clearly an order. His eyes were set on Mithril, who was beginning to charge a stronger attack.

Her eyes faintly glowing, she mumbled, "Please… He's so weak."

"We need him," Archie insisted.

With a staggering breath, Shelly's eyes flashed bright, and a Hydro Pump burst through the wall of the building with such force that both it and the debris it now carried fired straight into Mithril, throwing off xir attack and sparing the sub. Cerebus soon followed, but Boreas was able to distract Mithril long enough for the Aqua duo to retreat into the sub and begin its descent.

...Were- they _abandoning_ Boreas?

As Morgan watched the sub disappear underwater, it appeared so. She'd nothing with her to go after them, but together, her Pokemon were able to pretty quickly subdue the Suicune.

When Wattson finally arrived, he appeared downright shocked. To Morgan's pleasant surprise, he even congratulated her on dealing this blow, and assured her they still had time to track down the sub, that she couldn't possibly have been expected to stop them when so many others failed. She'd expected berating, either for failure or for rebelling against orders again, but she supposed Wattson always had struck her as one of the cheerier League members she'd met. She certainly couldn't complain.

* * *

"You can't _do _that!" Morgan protested- nay, _demanded._

"I'm afraid they _can_, dear." Genevieve on the visi-phone was being no help at all.

"I won't _let you."_

"You don't really have a _choice_." This was some League suit whose name must have been said at least ten times already, but Morgan couldn't have cared less. All she cared about was what they were trying to do.

"Competitors who _leave _the Games don't just get to _come back_ willy nilly. Circumstances being what they are, you're already screwing a _lot_ of rules just _being_ here. _Please_ don't test the razor thin ice you've managed to stand on and just _cooperate_," Genevieve begged her.

"_How_ can you ask me to _cooperate_ when they want to take _Cerebus?!_" Genevieve fidgeted a bit, then seemed like she was trying to hide it. Morgan leered skeptically. "...What is it?"

"Ah… Nothing, dear." When Morgan clearly didn't buy it, she admitted, "...Just ...did you say Cerebus?"

Morgan borderline startled. "... I guess I did. I'm not… sure when I started calling him that-" Maybe after her head injury? She shook her head violently. "But that's _not the point!_ Cerberus or Cerebus, I can call him whatever I want because he's _my. Partner._ I'm not just gonna-"

"_He's too strong,"_ the suit barked. "Compared to the strongest Sceptile ever on record- the peak of what we know the species is capable of- he's at nearly _90%!_ _Ninety!_ Do you have any _idea_ what- How did you even train him so high in such a short time!?"

Morgan's mind immediately flashed to her secret weapon, her Experience Share, and then to Mithril, who had been with her as much as Cerebus. Would they try to take xir, too…? _Fear not,_ Mithril's calming voice assured her. _Technology and I get along well…_ Ahh, good. If xe could scramble their readings, they wouldn't realize how strong xe was, right…? Xe'd be safe, with Morgan…

"_That aside_," Genevieve interrupted. "It's true that _normally_, taking away an overpowered Pokemon would be one of the more lenient punishments a rebellious trainer could expect, but in this case, it serving as punishment is more of a happy coincidence for the League, if an unfortunate one for you. You know good and well why we can't accept any alternative, don't you?"

Morgan clenched her teeth, then slowly sighed between them. She did. When they'd tried to capture Boreas, his energy rejected the ball. And since he was apparently uncapturable, he'd need to be physically restrained. But if they did that, he'd soon recover, and no doubt escape to seek out Aqua once again. Which meant they needed a guard who could keep him subdued… and there was only one Pokemon who had easily stood up to Boreas thus far and also had self-healing capabilities.

Cerebus was the obvious candidate, but Morgan didn't have to like it. "Suicune's been Aqua's trump card up until now, but he's not their only Pokemon, you know. What am I supposed to do next time I face them? And what if they do manage to awaken that sea beast?" After the League's shameful failure today, they seemed to have stopped insisting Morgan leave things to them when she was clearly more qualified for this fight, even if they couldn't understand how. They could save face by insisting they didn't have adequate time to prepare, and even Morgan believed it to a point, but today not being their best did not nearly prove their best would be good enough. Perhaps if they could manage to assemble all the Gym Leaders and Elite, but getting them all in one place seemed a danger all its own, as it would leave the entire rest of the region vulnerable.

"... I'll… make arrangements," Genevieve promised. "I'll find you a replacement, just until something else can be sorted out for Suicune's containment. It won't be as strong, but hopefully strong enough to be of help. Another grass-type, even. …. Would.. that be acceptable?"

Morgan dragged out another sigh. "Just promise I'll get him back."

"...I'll do what I can." That wasn't reassuring.

* * *

Deep below the ocean's surface, Archie held Shelly close. "Don't worry," he told her softly. "He'll be fine. What could mortals really do to him?" Shelly didn't have the heart to answer 'torture', or anything else that jumped to mind. "And we still owe you, y'old sea dog," he said to someone on a video call. "If we somehow all make it through this, we'll have to treat ya somehow in our new world, eh?"

Shelly knew too well that grin meant he wasn't very confident they would, yet as unsettling as that was, it was also… part of why she was still here… wasn't it?

"I've told you since Sea Mauville…" the man on the other end said, sounding weary. "I'm on the side of nature. I just… really hope you know what you're doing, Archie."

_Me too_, thought Shelly. She supposed she should thank their ally as well, tipping them off about how best to sneak past the blockade, then showing up 'too late' to stop them. But she could only find the strength to nod toward him.

"Here's hoping, eh?" Archie half-joked. "Guess we should be going, but thanks for checking in, and for everything else. Later, Wattson."

The Mauville Gym Leader nodded. "Good luck, Archie."


	29. Hidden Beneath - Part 1

Morgan's new Serperior was certainly an interesting Pokemon, if a finicky one, based on the impression she'd gotten so far. A very contrary personality, one might say. Still, she supposed he'd do in a battle against Aqua, assuming they weren't able to summon their… kraken or leviathan or whatever Kyogre was supposed to be.

Of course, it would help if they had any idea where they'd gone. Stern had assured her that-... well, there was always the slim hope that Kyogre wasn't even real. Just because many legends were didn't mean all were... right? Morgan supposed so, but didn't want to bet on that.

If it was real, however, then all evidence suggested it would be slumbering somewhere deep underground- somewhere the sub they'd stolen shouldn't reasonably be able to reach. At least… not on its own. They couldn't prove Aqua didn't have other equipment already on site waiting, nor could they guess the likelihood of them knowing already where to dig. But hopefully… Hopefully they had time… If they could just figure out-

Suddenly, Morgan saw another flash of gold, and suddenly she found herself looking at a very different stretch of ocean. Her feet felt the same, and she looked down sooner this time, if only by a moment. A little better glimpse of her mysterious portal: dark, as she'd seen, but glittering bright like space itself. She blinked, and it was gone again. It didn't take her long to realize she wasn't in Slateport anymore, though she had to consult her Nav to learn she was apparently in Lilycove.

... Weird.

Welp. A large cavern nearby seemed to beckon her toward it, and Morgan shrugged. Fuck it, why not?

* * *

Sera made it to Mt. Chimney at last, Sapphron blocking her Nav as she lit up Tabitha's phone over and over. She'd done this already, and she didn't know how she was supposed to get inside this time when she hadn't before, but she swore if she had to start digging until she hit something and just pray it would be Magma before magma, she-

"Sera…?" Breath left her as Tabitha's voice finally came over the phone.

"Thank the gods you're ali-"

"You need to leave."

"What!?" Wasn't he the one who begged her to finish the job if he failed!? "I can't j-"

"They've already noticed you on the security cameras. You need to get out of here befo-" He was cut off by the loud shifting of rock and metal, and moments later a massive entrance had opened in the side of the mountain. Without hesitation, she gravitated toward the new opening.

"Sera!" Tabitha snapped. The force was momentarily jarring, stopping her in her tracks, if only for that brief moment. Come to think, he hadn't really raised his voice toward her for… a while, anyway. But even as he went on, "You are not to enter this base! Do you hear me! I will never… never forgive you if-" she and Sapphron just headed right in. How odd… Normally, men yelling at her made her crumble, but right now, she just seemed to be… tuning it out… What was he even saying, again?

She supposed she'd have to ask him when she saw him, but that would be soon enough. So she hung up the phone, and dismounted the Latios. Out of curiosity, she had him release his field around her Nav, but was not surprised when it didn't activate. She supposed she could step back outside to send a quick SOS to the League…

If she trusted anyone there to handle this properly, anyway. And she didn't, so… In deeper she went.

Wow, these banners and decor in the entry hall were really gorgeous, though.

* * *

Morgan sat… waiting… and waiting… It had taken them long enough to tear down the door inside the cave, but between all her psychic Pokemon, they'd managed.

She'd accumulated a lot, hadn't she? Mithril, who had been such a pillar through her journey. Kitsun, who had become something of a mentor to her, especially when she helped him spend some time as a Mega Alakazam, and all his physical abilities were traded for pure mental power. Andraste, who was becoming more and more trusting of whatever plans the others hatched and ever more willing to play her part. And Bloke, the Gardevoir she'd obtained through inter-Guild trading for a Golbat she'd caught after ditching Devon's stupid Game.

She supposed for what very little it was worth, the whole limited catching and trading concept had grown on her a bit over the months she'd spent in Hoenn. Not that she'd strictly stick to it anymore if something caught her eye hard enough, but… until then, perhaps out of habit, perhaps as a mockery of the system, maintaining some of its basic structure had proven mildly amusing.

Ah, but she was on a tangent again. They'd managed to tear down the base door, but found that once again, they'd actually beaten Archie to his destination. Mowing through a few scared Grunts didn't really seem like a productive use of her time, either, though they'd been useful in letting slip that he was planning to head back here, at least. So she sat on Mithril, who sat on the cliffs above the base, while Andraste patrolled and scanned the waters, seeking any sign of his arrival.

Morgan got the feeling it was gonna be a while… Sighing, she began levitating a few nearby rocks in a pattern. She may as well get in some practice...

* * *

Sera wasn't sure exactly what to expect inside the Magma base. An onslaught of armed grunts, an elaborate trap, or maybe even a "welcome to hell" speech, perhaps.

But she certainly didn't expect the general consensus to be "Hey Sera" with friendly waves, or people just outright ignoring her as they went about their business.

"I… What's going on?"

"Wha'd'you mean?" one grunt asked.

"I mean what am I doing here?"

The girl raised a brow. "What, you can't remember why you came? You hit your head or something?"

Sera grimaced. "No, I mean… Why was I just allowed to waltz right in? And why is no one attacking?"

"You want someone to?" Sera pursed her lips in annoyance. "Just askin', man. Anyway, Leader Maxie was expecting you. He assured us you wouldn't be a problem, so…" The grunt shrugged.

"Can you tell me where he is then?"

"Ah, nah. Probably downstairs somewhere, but you'd have to find, like, an Ace Grunt or something to know that exactly." Sera sighed, and the grunt went about her business.

As she explored the base on her own, she found it almost a labyrinth, the teleporting panels providing a surprising level of defense and making it difficult to track exactly where she was in relation to where she'd been. What exactly constituted "downstairs" here?

She took to giving herself a sort of tour, both to help establish a mental map and to make her aimless wandering feel more justified. "Excuse me," she'd ask the closest grunt. "What's this room~?" If they were feeling friendly, they'd answer.

If not, then a few times, she encountered some grunts who didn't seem to agree with Maxie's assessment that she wasn't trouble, or hadn't gotten the memo, or just had a score to settle over past defeats. All her battles were quick, however, and one helped her new Meditite friend evolve into a Medicham, so she supposed she couldn't complain, really.

"This is the dining hall." "This is one of our meeting rooms." Some were more obvious than others. "This is where we gather to watch Leader Maxie's speech every morning," one Grunt groaned. As Sera started to thank him, he emphasized, "Every morning. Every… morning…"

She did her best to stifle her laughter. Sounded like someone wasn't a morning person… Though… heh, she supposed if she was here too long, maybe… she'd have to come back to watch tomorrow morning's speech, eh..? … That thought was less humorous than she'd intended it to be…

Coming across the dormitories and catching herself considering just stealing a bed until then didn't help either… The militant bunking didn't even look particularly inviting; it just reminded her how tired she was, and how late it must be getting. Shaking off the thought, she pushed further onward.

In time, she came across what looked to be a more private bedroom. It was very bare, but Sera supposed Magma did seem the sort to value minimalism and tidiness, so that didn't mean it was unimportant. And… who knew? Maybe that computer would have some useful information. If it had internet access, as well, maybe she could even forward some files to the League, or to Morgan, or… something.

She didn't know what she expected to find, but several thousand photos of Maxie definitely was not it. This… this was almost creepy. Probably even creepier than the fact that she was going through them without the owner's permission, even… But even stranger than their existence was the way they were categorized not by location or year, but by expressions. A whole folder of "Maxie Happy", another of "Maxie Angry", and so-forth.

This was surreal. A few photos looked like they'd been taken in recent months, while many others ranged years, probably even decades back. The existence of some photos of Maxie and Archie together didn't surprise her after Mt. Pyre, but that someone in Magma would keep them did. Just how gentle, how… happy they looked in some… that did.

There were a lot of sides to Maxie Sera would have had trouble imagining before now, it seemed. Ones from an embarrassing birthday party where he looked to be reluctantly having fun. Ones from what had to be Sea Mauville, with Maxie in uniform among other workers. Here were some with Courtney looking even more blank than usual. In some, Maxie was distinctly more feminine, most especially in the oldest photos, though Sera started noticing more variance in more recent photos as well now that she'd seen it. OHH gosh, this little kid with a younger Maxie had to be a teenage Tabitha and Sera wasn't sure she could handle this right now. ...When did she start enjoying these photos? Wasn't she supposed to be doing something?

"He's fascinating… isn't he? " Sera jumped out of the chair so hard she hit the wall as Courtney's voice hit her ears.

"I-! I wasn't…" Courtney… didn't seem angry, though. Sera supposed she'd never struck her as a very easy person to read, but… Well… Sera would prefer not to get knocked out again, but so long as Courtney wasn't attacking right now, maybe… this was okay? "I'm… sorry for… going through your things? … Are these yours?"

Courtney stared at her for a few moments, but finally nodded. "Yes…"

Sera wanted to avoid coming off as nosy, but unfortunately, she wanted to satisfy her curiosity more. "So do you uh… have A Thing for Maxie, or…?"

Another long pause. "I am afraid I don't understand the question. … To what sort of … 'Thing' … do you refer…?"

Sera couldn't tell if that meant no or if she legitimately just got caught on the wording. "I mean um… like, romantic feelings… I guess."

Courtney turned to look at the screen, seeming to ponder the question. "I'm uncertain whether I am... capable of... feeling such an emotion," she admitted.

"Oh!" Sera perked attentively, hoping she hadn't offended the girl by asking. "Oh, no, that's fine too. I mean uh… I'm pretty sure Morgan's the same way, sorta?" She maybe shouldn't have said that without Morgan's permission, she guessed, but ah… Courtney was tilting her head curiously now, and Sera tried to bring the focus back to herself. "Or I guess also, I'm… not really sure if I can always tell the difference between romance and friendship, so I definitely didn't-"

"That…" Courtney cut her off. "Isn't what I meant…"

It was Sera's turn to tilt her head quizzically now. "Ah… Sorry for assuming, then, but…" If she wasn't trying to say she was aromantic, then, "What did you mean?"

"I have … no reason to believe that … the capacity for romance is part of my … internal programming…"

"Hooow is that different?" Sera was more than a little confused. On top of that, she supposed she didn't have too much room to talk, but those long pauses could still make conversation drag a bit, couldn't they?

Courtney blinked slowly, but as she opened her mouth to speak again, a voice came over the base's loudspeaker. "Courtney. Please report to the drill room to aid in final preparations."

That got a bright smile, if only for a moment. Picking up her Nav, she answered, just a bit more emotion to her voice than usual, "At once, Leader Maxie. "

Sera really wanted to know how she made that little chime noise, but unfortunately she had far more pressing questions. "Hey hold up! Where's the drill room? What final preparations? Is that where Maxie is?"

Courtney had started to leave, but spun back around with a suddenly terrifying smile, not 'forced' but not quite natural, either. "You will see Leader Maxie … when he is ready to see you… and not before. " Sera started to open her mouth, but Courtney reached out and touched a finger to her lips. "Now get. out. of. my. room~ "

Sera was ushered out before Courtney locked the door behind them, then walked off, bobbing her head to the sound of a cheerful tune. For just a moment, Sera tried to tail behind her, but one sharp glance over Courtney's shoulder stopped her in her tracks. Forget having knocked Sera out; she could apparently beat up Matt. That did not sound like ire Sera wanted to earn…

And anyway… it sounded like Maxie did plan to see her at… some point? If she could find him on her own before then without following Courtney, all the better but… hopefully… hopefully she'd still get a chance either way… For the moment, she'd have to see if she could find anything else of use in this base…

* * *

I sense him! Andraste announced. It's faint, deep underwater. Ah- it feels like they're using an underwater entrance. I… might be able to dive after them, but it might disrupt my other-...

Morgan shook her head as she jumped to her feet. "No need. We knew he might not use the front door. But now we can raid this base properly," she said, almost smirking. Of course they could've waited inside, but this way they knew exactly when he arrived.

Upon getting inside the base again, Morgan found considerably more opposition waiting for her than before, the Grunts having had time to prepare to battle her.

Perfect…

It didn't add much time to her raid, to be honest… but the strength her Pokemon derived from each victory only prepared them all the more to face Archie and whatever he could throw at her.

If she could find him… In retrospect, mapping out the base might have been a better use of her time after all. She was tempted to start having Mithril just ram the walls down, but as long as they had a firm lock on Archie's presence in the base, she supposed they could conserve their strength. One of these teleporters was bound to lead to him eventually.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to anything in this base, and the dormitories and social areas both reminded Morgan more of a college campus than a professional organization. Complete with the frat dorm, apparently, as she wound up in what was clearly labeled on the door as "Matt's Room", but literally didn't even have a bed that she could see? It was just workout equipment and- oh Lord… Since no one was here she didn't dally, but caught a glimpse of a bunch of cassette tapes (really?) labeled "Bro Special", Volumes something through whatever. She didn't want to know what kind of music was on them or how many there were, she just wanted to get out of here and find the right teleporter already.

Finding what appeared to be Archie's room helped explain why there was no bed in Matt's, given the massive bed very clearly set up to accommodate three people (if the size and three rows of pillows were any indication) in Archie's room. Morgan could have done without that knowledge, but supposed she wasn't surprised. Moving on…

"Fire the laser beams delicately."

"Fire the laser beams a little bit more."

"Fire the laser beams fairly judiciously."

"Fire the laser beams like whoa."

The labels in this place might be the death of her… In another case, a restricted area had a sign reading: "Danger! Please don't play inside." Taped to that was a piece of notebook paper reading: "Caution! It's super dangerous! Really! I mean it!" And on that, a sticky note: "If something happens because you didn't believe me, don't blame me!" … Just how many- never mind, she didn't want to know.

A particularly amusing battle involved quintuplets trying to face her all at once. A single Dazzling Gleam from Morgan's Gardevoir put an end to that. Thanks for the power boost, kids~

At long last, the submarine came into view- modified to… Morgan covered her face with a hand as she groaned. How was the dumbass who thought turning a sub into a giant Sharpedo was a viable use of time the same madman putting the world in so much danger…

Well! Idiot design or not, at least now she could-

"Not so fast." She was cut off by Matt, and then from behind by Shelly.

"A double battle against both Aqua Admins?" Morgan considered just psychically tossing both into the water, but had admittedly worn herself a little thin making it this far, and decided she'd wait in case she needed that trick against Archie. Besides, how long could a battle really take anymore? "Bring it."

* * *

A library? Well, this would either prove a huge way to kill time or incredibly useful, and Sera wasn't even sure which she'd prefer at this point. But this day had been so long, and she was exhausted, and an excuse to sit down was more than welcome…

Some shelves were clearly filled with more entertainment-based books, but one in particular looked to hold more documents and scientific journals. Sera scanned that, and one binder in particular caught her eye. In strange letters she could barely read, like stylized versions of regular text with eyes peering out from each one, it read: AZOTH.

She'd seen letters like that before, but… in story books, she was almost certain. Their usage on a Magma document piqued her interest too much to pass up, so she grabbed the binder and sat at one of the tables to begin going through the documents inside.

One discussed many of the known and speculated details of Primal Reversion, though she found it to be mostly rehashing what she'd already learned in far more words. So Maxie had to have known at least to some degree... She attempted to skim it in case anything new stood out, but didn't want to waste time if not, and ultimately decided to come back to it to read more carefully if she had time.

But the next document…

"We intend to analyze the power of the ultimate weapon used in Kalos 3,000 years ago and work on the development of a drill weapon utilizing the same technology." … WHAT? Her eyes poured over it desperately. "According to the report from the Petalburg recon team, Devon Corporation holds the secret of the technology of the ultimate weapon. We will dedicate all our resources to obtaining this technology."

As she continued onward, she couldn't believe what she was reading. The words "Infinity Energy" came up so often. Devon used those words all the time in their advertising; among more tech-savvy folks, they were a household phrase. Everything… every major technological advancement in Hoenn for the past decade had come about thanks to Infinity Energy. Everyone Sera knew, herself included, had always thought of it as some miracle renewable energy, a product of science fiction made real. But this suggested… it was directly related to the Kalos War, to an event that had wiped out nearly a full continent's population in- well, a long time ago, but still within recorded history?

"Hey!" Sera was pulled from her trance by the voice of a scientist who had entered the library. "There are confidential documents in here! No outsiders allowed!"

Sera scrambled to her feet, ready to battle if need be, but first attempted to flash the man a smile. "What outsider?" she feigned. "See the red cloak?"

The man was not amused, leering, at least until something behind her caught his eye. Sera started to turn as well, but her attention was drawn back as he barked, "Do I look like I was born yesterday? That's clearly nowhere near a Magma uniform!"

As Sera opened her mouth, hand reaching for her PokeBalls, her world suddenly went dark as something was dropped over her head. Not something heavy, but just… cloth? "What about now?" asked a familiar voice.

Sera pushed the fabric up as she turned. "TABI," she exclaimed, immediately tackling him with a fierce hug. She supposed she shouldn't have been as surprised or as hurt as she was when he pushed her back, or when he refused to look directly at her, but all of that was still outweighed by her happy tears as she whimpered, "The way you sounded before, I was afraid something happened…"

... "I told you not to come," he muttered.

Right... That. She should... see what that was about, probably... Belatedly, though, she thought to look at just what he'd dropped on her before, pulling it off her head to reveal a Magma cloak. Though her face lit up for a moment, it soon dimmed again as she looked back to him. There was a lot they needed to talk about, but… In a weak attempt to lighten the mood, Sera forced a smile as she teased, "Thanks for the threads, but the gold horns are even cuter, you know…"

The breath Tabitha huffed could almost have been a laugh… "Afraid you'd have to work your way up to Admin for those," he told her dryly.

Sera felt herself relax ever so slightly, despite the gravity of everything. "Does this mean I'm officially Magma now, then?" She glanced back toward the scientist who'd berated her before, and to her mild amusement found him seemingly sulking as he organized the shelf before him.

"That's up to you, I guess..." Tabitha answered. "But I said I'd see what I could do about getting you the horns, so…"

Up to her… Right. Unfortunately, Sera couldn't give an answer without addressing the topic she really didn't want to. "Tabitha…" she started, reluctant but determined. "What's going on." When he just turned away again, her words became more forceful. "Tell me. Did you get through to Maxie? Did he- Is he planning to use the Red Orb for something other than Primal Reverting Groudon?" She could pray-

But only for a moment. "No."

An urgency- an uncharacteristic tinge of rage- came over her. "What do you mean NO?! What are you doing here if-"

"Sera. Shut up." She involuntarily did so, though she managed to suppress her urge to answer 'yes sir'. "I told you to stay out for a reason. Now please. If you know what's good for you, take the cloak as a parting gift, get on that Latios, and get as far from Hoenn as you can."

What… was she hearing? "What about you? What about-"

He huffed. "I don't know, okay? I don't- I don't know. Maybe I was wrong. I tried talking to Maxie, but he- I mean, what do I know? Wha'd'you know? I'm-" He grit his teeth, flinching as he spoke. "I'm a stupid kid next to him, and you're even more a kid than me. What business to we have questioni-"

"Will you listen to yourself!?" Sera's posture had become rigid with tension as she stared at him, somewhere between anger and disbelief. "Where's the egotistic prick I fell for!?" That certainly got a reaction, but she didn't have time to dwell on that. "You're a fucking Devon scientist! You- You've made Devon look like a joke! Where the hell is this doubt coming from!?"

He further withdrew. "… What if I'm wrong, though?"

"And what if you're not!?"

"...I owe Maxie my life," he mumbled. "If… I die following his lead, then…"

Sera refused to listen to this any longer. "And it's fine to sacrifice everyone else in the process?" She huffed. "You can keep cowering; I'm gonna go find him."

"Sera… please." He grabbed her wrist to stop her." You can still run. Warn the League if you have to, have them waiting to combat Primal Groudon if it gets out of hand. I can call you to let you know it's safe it if works, I-"

She tore out of his grip and glared at him. "Tabitha? Shut up." And Sera teleported out of the library.


End file.
